Dissecting the Dark
by PurgedMemories
Summary: Starkiller's rise as Vader's secret assasin is interrupted by a twist in fate, the consequences of which will be felt throughout the entire galaxy and it might no be for the best. Starkiller-Galen Marek/? AU
1. Revelations

Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction.

Whew, safe.

**Dissecting the Dark**

**I**

The transport _Rogue Shadow_ slipped through the unfathomable expanse of void space with all the grace and projected lethality of a nocturnal predator consumed by the hunt. Pith black painted dura-steel hull and wicked looking forward mounted turbo cannons only served to reinforce the comparison giving the cursing vessel the feeling of utmost malevolence, sure to strike fear in any who witnessed it's passing. Not that they would ever catch site of the elusive hunter due to the on-board stealth systems that worked endlessly; bending light and rerouting heat emissions, effectively rendering the _Shadow _invisible to both the naked eye and all but the most advanced scanners. The perfect killing tool; fast, agile, silent and utterly lethal. In an ironic twist of faith, so too could these words be used to describe the ships sole organic occupant.

The enigmatic being only known as Starkiller grunted with exertion as he continued to pound the well worn canvas bag with a nonstop series of precise and powerful blows. The air around him smelt of sweat and blood, the latter emanating from the red tinged cloth bandages wrapped tightly around his knuckles and the former from the toll on his stamina his continued assault was having on his body.

He was bare chested; his pale alabaster skin shone with a heavy layer of sweat as he moved his body in an fluid and deadly dance. Once in a while he would throw a kick or knee and his worn heavy boots would impact with a satisfying thud. At 1.85m and all coiled muscle, Starkiller was no pushover in the physical department and this was currently being showcased without any noticeable effort.

The training room he currently occupied was dimly lit, but the scattered weights and other fitness equipment visible in the dark showed obvious signs of repeated use. Over to one corner was an impromptu circle drawn out of chalk, in which several deactivated training drones lay dormant and seemingly scrapped; scorches and blaster pockmarks evidence of the little spherical machines constant defeat.

With his breath just starting to become slightly labored, the secret apprentice's flurries increased in intensity until suddenly the weakened chain holding the bag finally splintered and warped with a sickening crack. Freed of it's restraint the 40kg dead weight smashed into the bulkhead in an explosion of sand and tattered cloth.

Annoyed, the young assassin growled under his breath as wiped himself off with a towel that was hanging off a nearby weight rack. This was becoming more and more of a problem and general pain in the rear. As his training advanced, he was finding it harder and harder to find equipment that would keep up with his new prowess without breaking down. Already he had to replace the heavy bag multiple times and the training drones he simply bought in bulk. Truly the only thing that could give him a truly worthy challenge anymore was...

The Dark Side energy that naturally flowed through his being surged almost painfully, alerting him to the incoming danger. As it was the angry hum of a lightsaber passed by uncomfortably close to his face as he dropped to the floor, supporting his weight with one arm and raising his other to guard his exposed front. Reacting without thought his own weapon sprung from his belt and into his raised hand. With a quick press of a button, his blood red colored blade ignited; barely stopping a second strike had been aimed at severing him in twain. Reacting instantly Starkiller repelled the pressing saber physically, pushing his adversary's weapon away with his superior space to create room. Then utilizing the telekinetic nature of the Force he created a powerful shock wave that sent his opponent and a bunch of loose exercise equipment flying into the adjacent wall with a sickening thud.

Springing to his feet, Starkiller dropped into an instinctual defensive posture, lightsaber pointed front and low with both hands, feet spaced a tad bit more than should length apart with a forty five degree bend at the knees. His whole body would tight of a spring he would be instantly able to attack or defend, dodge in any direction and maintain his ground against heavy blows. Not that he would have to, if the way his opponent was jerkily trying to raise himself off the ground where he had fallen.

Snorting impatiently, Starkiller extinguished his weapon and strolled casually over to where his aggressor, formerly in the shape of a tall dark skinned human, now revealed to actually be a medium sized stripped down droid which continued to struggle and try to right itself. However due to the amount of damage it had sustained it was having a hard time with simply getting up. From where he was the young assassin could see that the droid had taken a nasty hit to the head, to the point where one of it's ocular sensors was merely hanging from a protruding wire.

_'Probably fried his gyro-scopic interface again.' _Starkiller mused, more intent on the pain of repairing such a complicated piece of tech than the effect it was currently having.

"Oh master, it seems I underestimated the ability of my current form to weather your abilities. My apologies." a cheerful yet apologetic voice issued from the droid's blinking falsetto mouth. "In the future I will have to be sufficiently upgraded in order to complete my secondary protocol and terminate you."

"Proxy, you couldn't kill me even if I spent my last credit upgrading you to do just that." Starkiller spoke gently, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up in what on anyone else could have been mistaken for a smile. As it was it came out as a sarcastic smirk. Picking up the skeletal droid he brought it to it's feet, catching it quickly as it almost toppled over, the extent of damage to its sophisticated inter-workings painfully obvious. "But perhaps I should limit myself to no weapons. Provide a better challenge."

Fortunately by this point the droid by this point had regained some semblance of balance, probably by falling back on secondary systems, and was working on reattaching it's dislocated eye. " That would be delightful master, much easier to kill you if your unarmed."

Regardless of how detached from what would be considered the "normal" range of emotions, Starkiller couldn't help but internally laugh at his sole companions cheerful admission of murderous intent. Anyone else would have been mortified to hear such things spoken by the being that had basically raised him, but being a staple part of his and Proxy's relationship for the past 18 years he wasn't overtly perturbed by it. If anything it gave him a comforting feeling, the honesty in the statement was always refreshing after a lifetime of study in deception and it's various uses. All in all he would take Proxy's cheerfully homicidal playfulness over the almost suffocating dark aura projected by the Dark Lord of the Sith any day.

There had up until recently been a second source of companionship available to him, but that too had after been taken away from him. '_Juno'_ even his thought was a whisper, a fitting tribute to the strenuous and as of yet un-deciphered relationship that had formed between the two of them.

The mere thought of the blond hair woman's name brought a surge of barely controlled anger to the forefront of his mind that he had to work to push back into its proper dormant place. But unlike the seething reserves he naturally had accumulated throughout his Sith training this special little section had found itself inexplicably dedicated at his masters ominous black armored form. Though he had noticed the more he thought about the whole situation the greater and more precise that wedge of anger would become.

Up until recently Juno Eclipse had been the pilot assigned to ferry him around on his masters somewhat random seeming bidding. However after the last bout of training at the abandoned Jedi temple on Coruscant (where he had once again defeated an ancient Sith holocron "somehow" left active in the wake of the temples utter destruction) he had been contacted by his master via hologram to discuss his successful completion of the mission and prepare him for the next.

He remembered kneeling before Proxy's hologram encased body and feeling a sort of unease in the Force that he was totally unfamiliar with. But always the obedient student he had knelt and awaited his masters bidding, the only audible sound the hum of the _Shadow's _engines and the raspy methodical breathing that more often than not gave new life to his reoccurring nightmares.

"Starkiller" Darth Vader, right hand man of the Emperor, the Empires black fist, finally broke the silence. Starkiller was slightly surprised that he could actually detect hints of anger in the Dark Lord's voice as he spoke; which was usually more or less completely apathetic while speaking. On the rare occasions that he had tasted his dark masters displeasure it would usually lead to a severe beating, often times within that of his life, or worse the Sith Lord would express his disappointment in his performance. For a man trained since age 4 to live or die unconditionally on his masters word it was understandable that approval meant a lot to him.

"I trust your mission was successful?" The question brokered no tolerance for failure and Starkiller responded simply with an affirmative.

"Yes my master." He whispered, never once raising his eyes off the ground. Never speaking loudly, to the untrained observer one would be led to think that the young man prostrated before the hologram was exceptionally shy or lacking in self esteem. Nothing could be further from the truth of course as years of harsh training had honed the idea of constantly retaining situational awareness and avoiding unnecessary attention to oneself.

Not to mention when your only constant companion is a murderous robot bent on sending you on to the next life your need for communicating takes backseat to more pressing issues.

"Good." his heart jumped at the single word of approval, but immediately crashed as Lord Vader continued, if he was truly satisfied he would of said nothing at all. "However I have heard some disturbing things concerning your current state of readiness." Mentally Starkiller cringed.

'_What does that mean?'_ the thought crossed his mind and for the first time in a while he was unsure of himself. As far as he had done nothing wrong, and his mission had been completed to the specified standards. Furthermore he still could feel the dark side flow through him like a raging river of molten rock so there was no way he had been irrevocably tainted. However he wisely decided to not voice his thoughts and instead waited patiently for his master to continue.

"You cannot let anything get in your way of crushing your enemies!" the anger in his master's voice truly took him by surprise, he hadn't felt him this angry since he found that holoflick that his 8 year old self had smuggled onto the _Executor._ His master continued without pause and his spite and disgust grew with every word.

"There must be no hesitations, no barriers or distractions as you let your hate flow through you! You have once again failed me!" Vader didn't shout as much as he projected, his displeasure hitting Starkiller like a iron curtain. Suddenly he felt himself struggling to breathe as if the gravity in the cabin had suddenly increased tenfold. Angered at these false accusations, he attempted to voice his objections, but the powerful being on the other side of the link sensed the outburst and squashed it mercilessly before it had even formed.

"Fool, I watched your progress in the temple, your feelings of attachment led to hesitation, which could of cost you victory!" Vader gestured with one hand and suddenly Starkiller's mind was flooded with information.

He had once read that before their downfall, Jedi and their Padawans had had the ability to establish a sort of link between their minds to share and create stronger emotional bonds of trust. There was however no sharing involved in this process, just a vicious one way rape as images were forcefully inserted into his mind and he was forced to view his failures through the disapproving eyes of his master.

The images themselves were blurry, but overall recognizable, viewed third hand. First from his masters red tinted perspective, then through some sort of security camera system that had recorded his latest mission to the Jedi Temple. He observed thus his duel with the simulacrum depicting Darth Phobos, the ancient (if long dead) Sith master.

During the battle his semi-holographic enemy had used various tricks and illusions as well as lightsaber combat in attempt to distort and confuse his senses and cloud his mind. Creating perfect copies of itself, teleporting around wildly and causing him to temporarily robbing him of his vision. However potent he had managed to defeat all these tricks, relying on his tremendous connection to the force and his emotional strength. These petty tricks exhausted the ghost had changed tactics attacking him where he was most vulnerable though at the time, and ever now, he would never admit to that.

The hologram had disappeared, leaving him to search carefully amongst the ruined remains of a holocron library. After many minutes of fruitless pursuit, he had considered leaving, assuming he had defeated the specter. However he could still sense the ghost's presence in the Force so he continued the search.

After a few more minutes of search he felt his patience beginning to wear thin, his concentration dropping in lieu increase in his base of emotions. He had just finished slashing a few priceless relics to pieces when a low sound had caught his ear. Immediately on guard, impatience forgot, he listened carefully for the source to give away it's position. Soon enough a plaintive moan issued from somewhere in the trashed library and he quickly turned to investigate, somersaulting over a low bookcase and landing in a fighting crouch. Whatever he had been expecting however, this was not it.

"Help me." the voice repeated again and this time he had no trouble identifying and placing it as his friendly pilot. She lay there lower torso concealed under an immense pile of rubble, her petite supine form looking incredibly vulnerable. Warily he approached, searching for any sign of a trap. As he got closer he noticed the unmistakable pool of crimson liquid seeping out from her concealed lower half, its slick surface reflecting the dim lights that shone overhead.

Just from the amount of blood present at the scene he could tell she would not be long for this world and there would be nothing he could do to prevent that from happening. It felt strange.

"Please help me!" she cried, reaching pathetically for him, tugging on the hem of his robe in a final request for aid.

Now logically he knew Juno was safe back piloting the _Rouge Shadow _with Proxy waiting for him to return and this must just be another one of Phobos' tricks. But as he raised his lightsaber up to finish it once and for all he found himself frozen in indecision.

He had never considered what the loss of a companion would feel like. While the sharp, clinical side of his mind demanded that he end this farce, his much undeveloped, un-utilized emotional half was caught up in an understandingly opportune internal discussion on the merits of "friendship." It was there at that moment that he unwittingly convinced himself of the nature of reality and sunk into Phobo's trap.

Looking up at him pleadingly, those beautiful blue eyes, that promised eternal happiness should he just be allowed to stay under their possession for just a little longer. Those slightly parted and oh moist lips that promised so much more if he would just let out his emotions and find the will to possess them. The dreams of finding something more to life than to simply answer the beckoning of another and to instead exist in tandem with another kindred spirit. It was intoxicating and...

He couldn't end it. His lightsaber lagged, dropping from it's raised position to a drooping relaxed posture. Sensing her distraction had succeeded, the disguised Phobos burst into action, dropping Juno's form and striking out with her formerly concealed lightsaber. Immediately jostled out of his internal fantasy was momentarily put on the defensive before once again gaining the upper hand at which point their battle resumed.

The deluge of images stopped and Starkiller grabbed his head as he fell off his knee and rolled into the fetal position. The pain from the transfer was a immense, spreading from the back of his skull to the back of his eyes and he wiped away a trickle of blood that had leaked from his nostril.

"What use is a tool that cannot differentiate between reality and a simple illusion? It is obvious that attachments have made you brittle and weak, akin more to the pathetic Jedi than my apprentice." for someone who was raised their entire life to hate that ancient order it was a low blow, however the Dark Lords was not done expressing his extreme displeasure at his apprentices failings. "It seems you have forgotten all that I have taught you, you who would be no more use to me at my side than a cripple. The Emperor would destroy you with less than a thought. You are less than a tool, you are a hindrance and I am beginning to question why I ever considered you a worthy apprentice." Allowing what he had said to sink in for it's full effect the master continued with his judgment.

"I'm afraid this failure has resulted in the need for your continued service to be reevaluated and for certain measure to be taken to prevent this failure from ever occurring again."

Pulling himself upright, Starkiller acknowledged this turn of events with pragmatism. He had always knew there was a possibility of ending like this, tossed aside and discarded like an old burned out droid. After all the one reason for his continued existence had been taken from him as he was no longer fit to serve. Bowing his head in defeat, he awaited the crushing presence of his master's Force grip around his throat, as he had witness him do to countless Imperial officers when they failed him. There was no point in fighting it. "As you wish my master." he whispered his acceptance.

"Very well my foolish apprentice, it is done." Vader dismissed the whole issue with a wave of his hand and Starkiller blinked in confusion.

_'What?' _

Not giving his apprentices puzzled look any notice his master continued on as if nothing had happened.

"Recently I have been sensing a great disturbance in the Force. It is a great enough anomaly that I am going to send you personally to investigate." At this point Vader paused, whether to let his apprentice digest the information or dramatic effect he would never know. "The planet in question is called Felucia. It has become an abomination of light, acting as a relay and sending those energies far into the nearby systems. If left unchecked this could have a detrimental effect on the dominance we have gained in that sector and thoroughly unbalance the dynamics in the region." Something tickled at the back of his head at his masters sudden change of tune but he couldn't identify what it was.

"Therefore your next mission is to travel there and at any cost correct this nuisance. You will be receiving a data packet on the specifics as well as the coordinates of the transport where you will receive your new pilot. Do not fail me again, you will find my leniency to be less accommodating next time." The last remark was punctuated with a threatening chop of the hand, letting it be known that further negligence would not be tolerated.

However his masters threats meant nothing as the niggling feeling behind his masters easy dismissal of his previous failure suddenly clicked. He waited until his master's imaged faded and Proxy returned before racing through the ship's dura-steel corridors to the cockpit. Possibilities of what he may find swirled in his head as he increased the speed of his steps with the force, taking the last few steps in one stride. Once inside though it was painfully obvious that no matter how fast he had gotten there it wouldn't of made a difference. His masters will had already been enacted.

He guess he should be thankful that his master had been merciful, whatever means he had used to kill her had been quick with no signs of a struggle. Some sort of implant, understandable after the high rate of desertion and attrition that his pilots seemed to go through. Briefly he wondered if he had such implant in him, though at this point it wouldn't do any good to guess.

Hey eyes stared blankly off into space from where she lay, her crisp uniform still unwrinkled and fresh. The utter professional, that was what she had been, but still it hadn't been enough to warrant her continued service and byways her continued survival.

Though he had smelt the unmistakable smell of recently deceased before it seemed to affect him more and he had to steady himself and breathe deeply to keep from retching. This was wrong, though he didn't know where that thought had come from. Perhaps because he had felt a sense of ownership for the efficient pilot, maybe ever a bit of responsibility. She had saved him before on multiple occasions and he didn't think this was an appropriate thank you. In fact he was angered by the whole situation and something else had wormed it's way into his heart but he couldn't place it. With a heavy sigh he picked her up perhaps a little too gently and brought her to the rear airlock. It didn't seem right dragging her like a sack of protein cubes so he made sure to be gentle when he set her down, even closing her eyes.

He hadn't bothered with any sort of ceremony, not because he didn't feel anything at the loss but because he didn't have the remotest idea what to say. And since he wasn't able to contact any Imperial forces for burial he doubted her family would ever be informed of her demise. That is if she had any. Now that he thought about it he didn't really know, he had never thought to ask and suddenly he felt that maybe he should.

It didn't make him feel better but actually for the amount of time they spent together these past months he really didn't know anything at all about her. In the end for all their pleasantries (mostly on her behalf) and their daily interaction he had never actually had the time to just sit down and talk. No that wasn't true, he had had the time but once again he had never bothered. Again that sting of an unfamiliar emotion tugged dutifully at his heart.

He pressed the button that initiated decompression, he had a sudden feeling of being ungrounded as if as the still form behind the glass was lost in the void of space so did a small part of him. It was not a good feeling and he almost considered canceling the venting process just so he could have some more time.

Almost. With a whoosh the outer door opened and it was done, turning away without a second glance he proceeded back to the training room, an almost sad aura surround him.

But in the end he found comfort on old habits and he reminded himself of the brutal lessons that had forged him into the weapon that existed to be. It was true excess in these useless emotions would only lead to hesitation and stagnation of skills, something he could never afford if he was to fulfill his ultimate purpose in life. If he didn't keep unbreakable faith in this philosophy he knew he would surely be struck down by the most unworthy of foes and prove his master right.

So instead of wallowing in self pity and defeat like a weakling Jedi, he turned his efforts to the ritualistic and familiar systematic buildup of loathing that would serve to bolster his connection with the Dark patron. Taking up his usual meditative position seated on the floor, he held his ignited lightsaber a mere fraction of length from his face. Looking deep into the crimson blades flowing depths and ignoring the painful burning sensation of its proximity, he concentrated on building his wrath, urging his anger up to new levels in a twisted parody that laughed at the ineffectual peaceful act of meditation. He knew this would make him strong and in this sea of never ending violence he could forget he ever felt those feelings of emptiness.

Though curiously now for the first time ever when he channeled his hate, using the potent vessel of his subconscious, the pure hatred he felt wasn't stemming from his insecurities and past failures. Nor was it from the innate fear of failing, of not performing well enough to garner the attention of an indifferent sadistic master. Instead his wrath was directed solely focused upon his black cowled master. This was a new feeling and although he couldn't possibly hope to comprehend the effect this would have on his future, it felt surprisingly good, surprisingly right and he felt his contained power jump two fold.

_'I could get used to this.' _For the first time in what he could remember a true smile found it's way onto the secret apprentice's face and only the galaxy could tell for certain of the outcome of this revelation.


	2. Brooding Premonitons

Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made of the following work of fiction.

Whew, safe.

**Dissecting the Dark**

**II**

Shaak Ti let the Force envelop her essence completely, becoming one with the all powerful bindings that held the universe together. It was a humbling experience and no matter how many times she had gone through this same process she was left wondering at the sheer magnitude of it. The whole planet seemed to resonate with a vast and wild energy, a web of interconnected life just teeming with physic potential. It was why she had come to the world to recover after the horrors of the great betrayal. Due to the unique nature of the Force on the planet, Felucia was the perfect place for a wanted force sensitives like herself and her two students to hide from the all seeing eyes of the empire. The task of maintaining the balance of the force swamped planet and the equally sensitive natives was just an extra bonus. Sensing a presence first through the force and then through her montrals the ex-Jedi master smiled as she sensed the approach of the stealthier of her two students.

"Maris, what troubles bring you to disturb your master today?" the red skinned Togruta serenely asked, not bothering to turn around or open her eyes.

If the young female Zabrak warrior felt any surprise at her master's ability to sense her approach, she did not voice it. "Master, Ahsoka and I, we're concerned. We've both felt the shifting of a new presence, something like we've never felt before. Something dark..." Her tone changed from neutral to worried to scared and Shaak Ti couldn't help but feel sympathy for her quiet student.

She had found Maris Brood years ago, alone and afraid drifting on her former master's abandoned star ship. What had exactly happened to him, Shaak had never been able to completely ascertain, only that he had been killed by Darth Vader while searching for other remnants of the shattered Jedi Order. What kind of master goes and leaves his emotionally unstable Padawan behind she didn't know, but since the man was long dead there was no use faulting him any longer.

However at times she would silently curse the man for leaving Maris like she did. When she had found her she had been obsessed with revenge against the Dark Lord of the Sith and irrational hatred had been slowly driving her into the embrace of madness. Seeing such violent tendencies as indications of a slow descent into the tempting confines of a Dark Side prison, Shaak Ti had taken the young woman under her wing and brought her with Ahsoka when the three of them traveled to Felucia. From there it had been a steady uphill battle to reign in the dark side of Maris' soul but the elder Togruta could proudly say she was happy with the direction that her fair skinned pupil was heading. Although she couldn't foresee what would happen if her erstwhile student was faced with any more loss. Such things would probably not be pretty.

Maris on the hand saw the situation a totally different way. While grateful for her current masters help in training and guiding her, she yet still burned with a secret desire to take revenge on the bastard of a man who took her original master Ki Duntt from her. '_Maybe then the nightmares will finally stop.'_

Shaak Ti felt the momentary imbalance in her padawan's aura and she fought the need to smirk. After fourteen years together there was very little her two young students could manage to hide from their master's keen eye and although Maris attempted to be much more secretive than the outgoing Ahsoka, when she was hurting her exposed mind still sang the same old tune. "Maris how many times have I cautioned you about the pitfalls associated with the quest for revenge and the ultimate fate of those controlled by their anger?" she chided.

Maris however didn't feel like receiving a lecture at this moment, something she had found over and over again in the past to be a favorite activity of her master. So instead she quickly attempted to divert the conversation to the previous topic. "Master!" she hissed between clenched teeth. "This presence we've noticed has been growing stronger with each hour! What the frak are we gonna do about it? Are we just going to sit and do nothing!"

Shaak Ti winced noticeably at her students use of foul language and the spike of anger that coincided with it. "Patience my young student we will take care of the problem if and when it arrives, but until then; calm yourself and prepare. All will be well." To add weight to this statement she broke from her meditation and stood, looking down on her dark clothed student and fixing her with her most reassuring smile. However not impressed, Maris snorted and turned to leave.

"As you wish my 'master'." the sarcastic tone of her voice was not lost on the mature Togruta and she knew the younger woman was angry at her for taking a more direct action to the approaching menace. For a minute Shaak Ti watched the Zabrak stalk off angrily into the thick undergrowth before turning back around and gracefully resuming her lotus position.

She had foreseen this presence's coming long before she was able to detect it, she already knew how this would end. Precognition was a times both a blessing and a curse, she knew what destiny had in store but at the same time just knowing the inevitable before it became so to be so was enough to drive a lesser mind to madness. Thank the force she had enough will to see this through.

A gentle smile formed itself on her grayish lips as she sat back down and slipped back into a meditative state. "What might be and what will be will always come to pass, only in the end of all things can one look back and say which was which."

Maris crashed through the thick undergrowth that threatened to choke the path back to the village. Normally she would use this sort of walk to practice her stealth, she was getting pretty good at moving silently and suppressing her force signature to minimal levels, but right now she just wanted to destroy things. Not that _that_ really though, suppressing her aura, mattered here as the sheer presence of the force made separating one aura from the next near to impossible. But right now she didn't care about any of that.

"Stupid kiff headed old hag!" She cursed and viciously kicked a lone pitcher plant that had decided to drift over her intended path. The pustule covered plant exploded with the impact and the Zabrak cursed as her leg was covered in sticky white sap.

Finally she reached the village, which in reality was a squalid little collection of huts set in a rough semi-circle shaped clearing in the middle of the jungle. As usual there was none of the so called Jungle Felucians there to greet her, they seemed to avoid her when at all possible. According to master it had something to do with her rough presence in the Force and since all of the plant-people were sensitive to such things they generally stayed away. Not that she minded. _'Nasty plant-people, all tentacles and teeth. Slimy.'_ she shuddered as she thought of the indigenous inhabitants brought on a wave of disgust. If they weren't so Force damned important to her master she would have been perfectly fine with destroying every last one of the mendicant minded mutants.

As she approached the house she shared with Ahsoka and her master she took in it's countenance with a sigh. _'Well at least we have the privilege of owning a shack that has a roof _and_ a door.' _she admitted and true enough that alone set it apart from the other village inhabitants who seemed more than content to rut around on the bare dirt like wild animals. _'Frakkin plant-people!' _

As she lifted the latch to their dwelling and stepped inside she threw her dark hood back and gratefully exposed her pale white skin, dark black braided hair and red vestigial forehead horns. _'Force I hate this planet!' _she moaned. Sure it was great if you were like her master or her friend Ahsoka, their Togruta physiology and darker skin soaking up the planets intense ultra-violet light like it was nothing. But no, set her out there with her pale skin and she'd be sporting an intensely painful sunburn within the hour. As it was she was forced to wear her heavy cloak and hood outside which made life intensely miserable as she was always hot and sticky with sweat. If only she had been able to procure this "sun-screen" Ahsoka had told her about but unfortunately their trips to Kway Teo (the largest city _'Hmp, more like a town'_ on the planet) were few and far in between in order to avoid detection by the Imperial garrison and when the time finally came she would always forget.

Hanging her cloak up on a small rack designed just for that purpose, she slipped off her shoes and headed to her room. This had always been enforced by her master which was strange because like most Togruta she never wore shoes to begin with. Along the way she passed their primitive kitchen and the meeting/dining area. Hunting trophies seemed to covered every available space on the walls, from acklay chitin to bull gelagrub hides and even the bleached skull of a full grown rancor. Not exactly her idea of appropriate interior decorating but Master Ti and Ahsoka seemed to think it just made the place homey. _'Whatever.'_

She passed through the beaded curtain that separated her living quarters from the common rooms and collapsed on her hard straw mattress with an exacerbated sigh. Why didn't Master Ti seem concerned about this ominous presence that seemed to be growing by the hour, couldn't she see that no good would come of it. Even Ahsoka with her limited scrying ability had been able to pick this threat up and if she could then pretty much anyone could. Just the fact that it could be felt through the miasma of a vortex that was the Felucian Force signature. Just that fact worried her even more

_ 'What are you doing master? What are __**we**__ going to do? We can't fight this alone I know we can't and what if it's...him.' _ The mere thought of meeting her arch nemesis brought Maris to a panic, but also in a strange way excited her more than she had been for a long time. It was on the desire for revenge that she had so genuinely thrown herself into improving under Master Ti' s tutelage. Darth Vader would die by her hand that was for sure, but when she was ready and on her terms. Anything other would be definite suicide and Shaak Ti's constant reminders that in vengeance she would only suffer greater wasn't helping either.

She had returned her planning on either taking a nap or meditating but neither of those seemed appealing so she decided on practicing some katas and maybe if Ahsoka was back a light spar. So she got up grabbed her cloak by the front door and then moved out the back door to the yard.

Enclosed with a stout wooden fence the yard served as both a training ground and sparring ring. Currently there was one other person utilizing the space provided and Maris couldn't help but smile as she watched her lithe friend work with her dual lightsabers blazing through her Ataru routine, effortlessly pulling off a series of acrobatic combat movements that would of put the best gymnast in the galaxy to shame. Ataru, or form IV was a type of lightsaber combat that focused on quick deadly strikes with a large amount of Force augmented acrobatic evasions. Ahsoka was also pretty good at using shien grip, a style in which the combatant holds their weapons in a reverse grip. This made these attacks harder to predict but also less powerful which was a decent trade off in her friends eyes.

Maris herself didn't specialize in any one style or form of combat as her guard shotos were more suited to hit and run tactics and defense, not having the striking power or the reach of a traditional lightsaber.

Still she had to admit that her friends form was impressive. She had changed greatly since the two had first met all those years ago, maturing from a arrogant and cocky teenager to an arrogant and cocky adult. Okay well maybe she hadn't changed that much but just seeing her friend training she was impressed with the level of skill displayed. Ahsoka had always been a physical presence and it looked as though her fighting style was finally evolving to fit her need.

Like her master Ahsoka was a Togruta, but unlike Shaak Ti with her dark red skin, her hue was light orange. She still had the normal pattern of female Togruta though, white patches around her eye and black and white stripes on her montrals and lekku. She also had baby blue eyes and was extremely proud of it. This was apparently a rare genetic strain in her species and which according to Ahsoka made her a very lucky catch for any male Togruta. Maris would always laugh at this and point out that just the fact that she was pure-blood Zabrak and still had hair was a much rarer feature and then the two would begin arguing. At that point Ahsoka's lekku would be swimming angrily and Maris' horns would tingle in rage as the two prepared for vain combat. At that point the only thing that would stop the inevitable brawl would be the sudden appearance of Master Ti or a rather larger Rancor stampede. Maris hated to admit it but she lost more time than she won, but it was close!

"Hey Spike what's up?" Ahsoka called cheerfully, not stopping her rolls to jibe at her friend. Dropping low after the successful completion of a flying back flip, Ahsoka spun both of her sabers in a 360 degree strike that would of kneecapped anyone who was standing around her. Finishing her routine and turning off her sabers; Ahsoka popped up from her kneeling position and put her arm around Maris' cloaked shoulders and leaned heavily on the smaller girl. "Careful pasty it's pretty hot out today, don't want you overheating or anything."

Maris shrugged the over-friendly Togruta off with a shove and pulled out her dual guard shotos which hissed to life their short crimson red blades spinning as she twirled the tonfa-like weapons in her hands. "We'll see who's panting in pain by the end, snake brains."

Ahsoka merely grinned at the insult and reactivated her green saber and shoto combination. The two stared each other down each waiting for the other to make the first move. The hot Felucian sun Felix beat down mercilessly on the duo of fighter and Maris watched as a single bead of sweat formed on her opponents left montral, moved slowly down past her cheek. down her lekku until it sat on the very tip of the sensitive organ. It hung there for a second and then.. plip.

In the end Maris made the first move, with a burst of Force assisted speed she closed the distance and at the same time spun her guard shotos so the deadly blades was pointing forward in her hands.

Twisting her body she aimed one of her tonfas in a quick jab like strike towards Ahsoka's chest. Without very much effort at all Ahsoka batted aside the strike with her shoto before lifting one foot in the air and gracefully pirouetting, bringing her primary weapon down in an overhead strike. Reacting to the danger, Maris raised her left tonfa and blocked the strike, the two locked plasma blades allowing the women to test their strength as they both pushed against the other. Teeth clenched and neither retreating, the gridlock lasted for another couple seconds before they both simultaneously threw another strike and ended up twice as entangled.

Ahsoka took the moment to voice a question that had been on her mind as she thrust Maris back and threw another spinning strike she asked "What did master say about that aura?"

The Zabrak turned her strike aside and launched a salvo of strikes. "She said" Maris redirected the other woman's sabers away and "not to worry." launched a high kick that connected with Ahsoka's ribs. Reacting to the strike Asoka shifted her shortened lightsaber, the shoto, to guard her injured side. Spinning to the right she switched her blade mid swing to a reverse grip and swiped at an upward angle, only to have her strike blocked again.

"Well talk about a load of drek!" Ahsoka hissed taking both blades and spinning them horizontally in a fast rotation that caused the younger woman to jump back. "We should be preparing defenses" Maris attempted to throw a few swipes but the Togruta easily batted them away "or at least planning some contingencies."

Ahsoka had been a general of the Republic Army during the Clone Wars and while she didn't like to talk about it, from the way Master Ti talked about her she was actually pretty effect as a commander. While only sixteen at the time she had managed to pick up a few things about strategy, namely always having a plan.

Sensing she had gained the advantage Ahsoka leaped into the air and rotated her body until she was spinning diagonally towards her sparring partner, a whir of blades moving too fast to see. Flashy, showy with no real purpose beside showing off her skills, it was class Ahsoka.

So rather than try and block the tornado of certain doom Maris merely rolled out of the way, while a decent combatant she was not nearly confident enough in her dueling skills to try and counter her friend's brand of lightsaber insanity. Instead she focused on barely dodging the almost lighting fast chain of strikes that her Togrutan friend was chaining together, a trend that didn't look to be slowing down any time soon. Realizing she had to break the other girls rhythm before she built up more momentum and became truly unstoppable, he looked for an opening and in the mean time simply concentrated deflected strike.

Waiting until she felt that the other student had overextended herself, Maris slid one of her guard shotos along the length of Ahsoka's primary saber, sparks shooting up as the two plasma weapons scraped each other. The Zabrak then followed the blade with the rest of her body and stepped inside the Togruta woman's guard. The blunt end of her shoto was jammed into the woman's already wounded side. While this was going on she twisted her non dominant weapon and trapped the other fighter's shoto and pulled back towards her body, causing her opponent to drop the weapon or else risk injuring herself with her own weapon. However under this assault, Ahsoka being the superior dualist merely grunted, gritted her teeth and boot kicked Maris straight in the chest with a Force enhanced foot that sent the Zabrak falling back onto her backside. Before she could recover Ahsoka placed the edge of her lightsaber up against her neck.

"Yield?" it was a question not a demand. Maris looked up to the other woman's unwavering sword and bobbed her head slightly.

"I yield." she sighed and Ahsoka squealed and clapped her hands like a little girl. Helping her friend to her feet she couldn't help but rub the victory in, just a little.

"What is that 93 to 45?"

"More like 95 to 60. And it doesn't matter I won regardless." the Zabrak grumbled. Ahsoka raised the muscles on her forehead in confusion so Maris explained herself. "That second strike to your right side, if we were fighting for real I would of speared you with the blade not the blunt end. Second you used the Force to assist that kick and we said no abilities."

Ahsoka however, to stubborn to concede, merely turned up here nose and "hmphed" then switched off her still active lightsabers, prompting Maris to do the same. If felt good to put Ahsoka in her place, more often than not it was her who was on the losing end. Ahsoka after all had trained for about 14 years under Master Ti who was a legendary duelist in her own right. And it also didn't help that her montrals gave her an unfair advantage.

Now if they dueled through the force, in a pure power on power fight, well that was a different matter entirely.

Finished now with their duel Ahsoka asked a question that was begging to be asked. "So what are we going to do about that aura?"

Maris honestly could say she didn't have the slightest idea, but their master didn't seemed worried so she wouldn't let panic get the best of her, especially in front of her friend. Looking up in the sky she felt Ahsoka placed her arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

"I don't know but with my skills and Master Ti's awesomeness there isn't anything between the three of us we can't handle!"

Maris gave her friend a conciliatory smile but deep down she was still troubled. The approaching force was unlike anything she had ever felt before and she knew that they were going to need more than confidence to defeat whatever trials lay ahead.

A/N Well in this chapter I introduce the other primary characters and set up the upcoming conflict that will happen two chappies ahead. It'll be a pretty interesting fight and will loosely follow the canon fight on Felucia but only barely. As for my Starkiller's power level, he honestly isn't going to be near to the strongest thing out there, maybe later but not definitely not right away. The guy did pull a freaking star destroyer out of the air though, pretty badass so we'll see. Oh and he won't have all those magical force powers he got in the game, just traditional canon ones. Anyways I'm probably gonna post the next chapter today sometime just have to give it a once over.

Deuces PuMe


	3. Decisions

Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction.

Whew, safe.

**Dissecting the Dark**

**III**

Starkiller paced the small cockpit of the _Rouge Shadow_ for what seemed like the hundredth time. I front of him out the view-port he could see the usual blackness of space but also a faint dot that had over the last couple hours been growing larger and larger. That was his destination, Felucia. A nasty little planet home to all sorts of carnivorous animals and deadly flora that would not hesitate to devour an unwary traveler alive, even if that traveler was skilled in the use of the Force.

Reports from Imperial patrols and spies in the few cities that sparely populated the steamy jungle planet reported that their had been a strange migration of a species that were referred to as Jungle Felucians towards the location of the largest sarlacc pit in the known galaxy, a beast of a specimen with a maw spanning over 4 kilometers in length. It had always been rumored that these Jungle Felucians were connected with the Force on some basic primeval level and their migration could be linked to the virtual Force tempest that Lord Vader had detected.

Even from here Starkiller could sense the massive polarized Force reservoir that encircled Felucia and he noticed with unease that it had a decidedly positive feels to it, meaning that the entire planet was basking in the warm, sickly, putrescent glow of the light side. It was sickening to say the least.

The astromech that had replaced Juno chirped out a series of beeps and whistles that he translated to mean they would be arriving in 5 hours and 21 minutes. Apparently this was his master's solution to his problem with attachments. Another cold unfeeling being taking up a space in his life. He hadn't even learned the droids designation and probably never would.

5 hours. That was enough time to reach the correct stage of mental preparedness for the upcoming excursion. Not knowing what he was going to be up against was a distinct tactical disadvantage but he would prepare himself for anything to the best of his extremely formidable abilities. He would also stretch, an important part of any pre-battle plan. What use was there in being highly trained if he cramped up in the middle of a fight. That was another reason he held the Jedi in such low esteem, they didn't truly train as warriors. While an exception could be made in the case of the old soldier Rahm Kota as a rule the Jedi he had fought up to this point had been soft, weak. The difference being that he honed all aspects of his body to perfection, body and mind, continually seeking to improve himself and reach new previously undreamed of heights of power.

Before Juno. Before he had realized that there was more to life than simply obeying someone for the sake of obedience he would of merely struggled to improve himself for his masters benefit. Now he didn't know why he was still bothering to improve himself. He felt betrayed by Vader and that garnered no real sense of loyalty; so why try and prove himself to him by becoming a perfect tool for him? A tool no matter how beautifully crafted was always going to be just that a tool and he was sick and tired of someone else taking credit for all the work that he accomplished

Honestly at this point he was just following orders because it was the only thing he ever had any experience in. He was...just coasting along.

After much thought though he had succeeded in reasoning why he kept training. He would become powerful for himself and himself alone. If he was powerful nobody would ever dare to betray him again and take what was rightfully his. He didn't know where this possessive streak had come from but after the empty feeling had left him replacing his cold grief with anger at the possibility of this ever happening again.

Whenever Starkiller moved, he stalked, a dangerous predator in every sense of the word, so as he stalked out of the cockpit and into the briefing area where Proxy waited for him.

"Master I would like to be the first to inform you that a new data packet has arrived from the _Executor_." the droid held out a data pad and Starkiller plucked it from him grasp. Not bothering to move or take a seat instead he scrolled through the message and the permanent scowl on his face deepened.

*******RS******

**Deep Space Recon Probes have located three large Force concentrations on the planet surface, the strongest of which is located within the center disturbance that our spies have suggested the indigenous population has been migrating too. Upon arrival at the planets surface while doing a low altitude flyby the probe recovered the following images. **

He quickly scanned the images and found them too be a red skinned female Togruta dressed in furs and balancing herself atop a large outcropping of rock. It was obvious the picture had been taken from a long way and a long way up so specific facial features were almost impossible to distinguish. He quickly read the rest of the message hoping for any more pertinent information.

**Subject is thought to be the lost Jedi Master Shaak Ti who's last known location was the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during the great reorganization. At the time the subject had eluded capture with an unknown Jedi Knight and up until now has been missing.**

**Subjects Bio: **

**Name: Ti, Shaak**

**Species: Togruta**

**Gender: Female**

**Height: 1.7m**

**Skin Color: Red**

**Age(estimated): 40**

At this point Starkiller skimmed through the rest of the message, noting that this target was an expert in light saber combat, specializing in Form II and Form IV. While he himself did not have any set style, moving through pure instinct and violence of action, the forms themselves not nearly as important. That's what happened when you were trained from the age of four in something. Years upon years of dueling Proxy to the death had taught him given him a basic mastery of all lightsaber forms. But that's not saying there wasn't any room for improvement.

Looking at the pictures again he realized that he had actually already defeated. One of Proxy's training modules had been bases on the Togrutan Jedi Master. While he wouldn't let his arrogance to get the best of him he had supreme confidence in his abilities to handle the matter. None could stand before his power, not this washed out Jedi, not his master and not even the Emperor himself. All would fall before his wrath and never again would he allow another to control _his_ existence. 

Once this mission was over he would have a lot to think about but for now he had to prepare. There would be time to come up with a plan later.

It was well into night now and Shaak Ti still sat in the same spot out in the wilderness meditating. It had been hours since Maris had come inquired about forthcoming events and since then she had been enjoying the peaceful solitude. All her plans over the last fourteen years were finally coming to fruition.

She had felt the approach of the sinister energy, almost two days ago when it had appeared at the very edge of the system. Immediately she had recognized the foul energy. It was him, the great betrayer, the fallen angel. _The Chosen One._

Immediately she had attempted to speed up the process by which the Jungle Felucians migrated to the Ancient Abyss. It was there at that ancient site that she would spring her trap, hopefully ending the greatest up-setter to the Force's balance in thousands of years. It was after all the reason why she had artificially strengthened the bond between the Force and the Jungle Felucians, causing a massive feedback that would be felt halfway across the galaxy. Not to mention creating loyal servants to act as her agents when the time came, as she knew it would.

This was one of those annoying parts of clairvoyance that she hated so much. Parts of the future, when she gazed deeply into the flowing abyss that was the Force, seemed clear as day while others shifted and twisted. Masses of partly glimpsed, greyish flowing visions not to be trusted in the best of times. It was maddening and a lesser being would of given up years ago. But she had not come to have a seat on the Jedi High Council simply out of luck it had taken years of strenuous studying and practical application. It hadn't been easy, as a female and as one of the "slave" races she had had a hard time of it but in the end she had won her peers respect and that of the entire order. It was probably after she had personally tracked down the super criminal Lyhsaa and single handed brought her in.

_'Even that never put their memories to rest. Poor Fe Sun and Jarek. They never had a chance.' _she thought bitterly reminiscing about the demise of her first two students. After which she had sworn never to take another. _'See how well that worked out.' _she now had two. _'Though if it hadn't been for that drek eating two-faced hairless ape Skywal...' _

She never finished her thought as with a sense of deja vu that made her internally chuckle, she felt the approach of her other, less stealthy, student. "What is it Ahsoka?"

Before she had even finished her response she was almost smothered by the barrage of questions streaming from her young Togrutan students lips. Shaak Ti smiled and waited until she ran out of air before replying. "I take it from that stream of questions that you are troubled young one?"

"Well yeah, no kidding, I mean Maris said you said we weren't going to do anything concerning that aura thing and even I can tell it's still getting closer. So like shouldn't we be getting a plan together or something?"

"Do you fear the rise of the sun or the setting of the moon. These things too we can predict the arrival of but we do not fear them because we know their coming is inevitable among all things." Shaak Ti replied turning her head to regard Ahsoka who had plopped down to sit next to her mentor. She gave the older Togrutan a look that just said "I don't get it."

Shaak Ti sighed and took a calming breath. "Ahsoka ever since we escaped Coruscant that day we knew he was going to find us eventually. The Sith do not give up easily and he is no exception. It was an predictable reality we were living the moment I rescued you from Skywalker, one that..."

"Don't even say his name!" Ahsoka cried, jumping to her feet and stomping a few feet away. She looked out into the jungle, head bent low. "Don't you ever say that traitors name." she whispered.

"Ahsoka one day you will have to face the past, otherwise it will forget you. This hatred it is useless in the grand scheme of things. Your master, would of turned regardless of what you did to stop him. It was his destiny, just as it was your destiny to live and come with me to Felucia. The sooner you learn this the better." Shaak Ti stated noticing how her young charges shoulders were shuddering.

When Ahsoka finally turned back aground it was obvious that she was crying. "I could of saved him Master! If only I had been a better student he would of never of fallen to the Dark Side. If I had been more aware of his needs I would have been able to prevent their deaths, all of them. Instead I was focused on being a Knight that I didn't notice any of the warning signs until it was too late!" By this time she was straight out bawling and Shaak Ti guided her back to sit next to her. She held her close then and stroked her montrals, whispering soothing words into her ears. After a few minutes she had managed to stop sobbing.

"You know Ahsoka if you had stayed you would either be dead or have fallen to the Dark Side and I know your master would of never had either of those for you. No little one, your master ceased to exist the moment he entered the temple with the mind to do harm."

Shaak Ti could still remember that horrible day, the day marked in Imperial calenders as the "Great Restructuring" but known throughout the galaxy as the second great Jedi Purge.

Meditating in her private chambers she had been when she heard the first gunshots and felt the first of her brothers and sisters die. It was early yet so the galaxy wide feedback of the whole betrayal had not yet reached Coruscant so nobody knew what yet had happened.

At first everyone had thought the Separatists had attacked, but soon it was reported that the ones firing on the Temple were Republic Forces, 501st Legion, which was Anakin Skywalker's personal command. She remembered the thoughts that had rushed through her head and then the feeling of dread when they figured out this wasn't some rouge faction but a pre-planned strike against the entire Order.

And that's when the feedback had arrived, a massive lashing of Force energy caused by the death of hundreds of Force sensitive Jedi in the span of a few minutes. Some couldn't resist all the negative emotion and merely shut down, awaiting their deaths, while others went into mindless rages, driven over the edge into a beserker state. I didn't matter though, all were cut down in the end.

At one point she had stumbled into the council chambers, never would she forget what she saw in that cursed room. She had seen a a lot, the horrors of war still troubled her dreams but nothing would ever compare to what she saw in that blood soaked cursed room.

She had actually fled, her a Jedi Master on the council, the negative emotions too much for her to handle. She had ran and ran not caring where her flight was taking her, until she had finally ended up in one of the many gardens. There she had seen Ahsoka and was about to call out to her when she was silenced by the arrival of a truly sinister presence. Ahsoka had told her what had happened then since she was too far away to hear clearly.

Ahsoka stood before her former master, her friendly smile slowly darkening until there was nothing of the cheerful Togrutan left.

"Master what have you done?" she questioned, looking at her crazed, blood soaked former master who now stood before her. The raw hate he was emitting was so strong she could barely look at him, but still she forced herself to do just that.

"Snips, how are you doing? You're looking very well." Anakin sneered, looking his former padawan up and down. "Starting to fill out I see, both up and out." Ahsoka didn't let him distract her and she pushed again.

"What have you done?" Anakin snorted in impatience and began to pace back and forth angrily.

"I've merely done what was necessary to become powerful Snips. I've accepted my destiny and have only become stronger because of it."

"Please Master, stop this! You can still come back from this! We can just go find Master Yoda and..." Anakin held up his robotic fist, effectively silencing her.

"You think I want to stop this Snips? I now wield more power than you could ever possibly know! I know this is hard for your feeble mind to comprehend but the Anakin you knew if dead and gone. My name is DARTH VADER!" with an intelligible scream he threw Ahsoka across the room with a mighty force push before charging after her with his lightsaber fully drawn.

Ahsoka leap back to her feet and drew both her sabers, igniting the green tinged weapons and taking up a classic defensive stance before charging towards her rapidly approaching former master. They met with a clash of sparks both continuing to run past each other before stopping with about 10m between them. All was silent for a while, no sound except the humming of lightsabers and the distant sound of discharging blasters.

Suddenly Ahsoka fell to her knees in pain, her side horribly burned from where her master had cut her. As if a ghost Darth Vader appeared suddenly in front of her. "Pathetic Snips, even the younglings put up more of a fight than you. Not surprising though you were never good enough to learn from me. Weak."

Ahsoka was speechless, still trying to get over the fact that her master, the man who she had until recently looked up more than anyone else and had once harbored a gigantic childish crush on, had just casually admitted to slaughter children as if it was nothing. "Why Sky-guy, why?" she softly whispered, tears starting to form in her eyes.

The newly anointed Vader looked down at her like he was regarding a rather disgusting bug. "Because that's what my new master demanded of me in exchange for power." he replied coldly

Ahsoka merely nodded her head. At that moment any and all fight that was left in the young Togruta girl had fled and she resigned herself to death.

Sensing his former Padawan had suffered total defeat Vader raised his lightsaber high above his head, fully intending to bisect the kneeling girl in two.

But as deadly blade had descended, a blur had tackled Ahsoka out of the way, leaving Vader swiping at thin air. This blur later showed itself to be none other than Shaak Ti who up until now had been watching from the shadows.

"Ah great more vermin arrive. It seems I have not finished my job here." Vader sneered and raised his lightsaber in challenge again.

Gently setting Ahsoka's now unconscious form down on the ground and shedding her heavy cloak, revealing the tight fitting combat uniform she wore underneath.

"You know Anakin, I always opposed raising you to a Knight. I said you weren't ready to work on your own. I guess I was right." she dryly commented holding her saber in one hand held at the low ready.

"And now I am more powerful than ever, all the council ever did was hold me back! You were afraid of my potential, you always were. Afraid that the "chosen one" wouldn't just roll over and play fetch whenever the council asked of me. But now I know better, I realized that in order to become even stronger all I have to do is remove those things that used to hold me back. Including you."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I understand why. You are a monster. Prepare to be cleansed." Shaak Ti attempted to spear Vader with a lighting quick thrust but he merely batted the attack aside and returned with a sweeping strike that attempted to cut her in half at the waist.

Shaak Ti managed to block the blow but soon regretted as she was sent flying just from the mere power behind the strike. '_Ouch, reminder when fighting the most powerful Jedi in 1000 years, dodge don't block.'_

Following her own advice she spent the next few minutes dodging the various strikes that Vader unleashed on her. But then little was being accomplished other than pissing him off and making her tired.

Switching tactics the Chosen one began levitating chunks of broken concrete, pots, chunks of re bar and anything else that would hurt if it hit you, and chucked them at her. This was unfortunate because Shaak really wasn't a distance fighter and she spent the next few minutes slicing and dicing everything that came her way.

Any way she looked at this , she was outmatched. Whether it be in terms of dueling skills, force power, speed, strength or agility, Vader was the stronger. Honestly the only advantage she had over him was her species unique power of echolocation, but what use was that...

Struck with sudden insight Shaak Ti took a chance and hurled her lightsaber up high into the air with all of her strength and used the Force to guide it as it spun wildly, cutting through all the UV lamps that provided sunlight for the plants and illumination for the occupants.

Vader caught on to what she was attempting to do and renewed his efforts to cut her down. Shaak Ti back flipped out of range and watched as the last light was destroyed with a shower of sparks leaving the room in near total darkness. Coming to a stop Shaak Ti switched off her lightsaber and concentrated on the jumbled images her montrals were collecting. She couldn't see anything, but her built in biological sonar sense a large mass up ahead to her left. Vader had been smart enough to turn off his plasma blade too.

Sensing she was close, she quickly activated her blade and struck...

Only to be met on equal terms and Vader brought his lightsaber up to block. "You think I need sight to see? Your cheap parlor trips won't work against someone who has discovered the ultimate power!" Vader gloated as he matched her strike for strike.

Shaak Ti would of despaired, except that her plan was actually working. While yes Vader was able to keep up with her, his strikes had gotten a lot less precise and confident. Cutting low under a wild fanning swing, she brought her brought her saber up to bear and struck. She was rewarded with a curse and the smell of cooked meat. Immediately Vader shut off his lightsaber and disappeared into the inky darkness.

"Seems your not so invincible after all." she laughed, trying to draw him out from wherever he was hiding but as hard as she tried she couldn't find him. "Show yourself coward!" she cried.

"I'm right here." A dark voice stated behind her, she tried to turn around but it was far too late. She was picked up and thrown like a rag doll against the far wall.

She impacted with tremendous force, enough to break several ribs and fracture arm. She wouldn't win this fight, the only thing she could do now was escape. With great effort she got to her feet and picked up the still unconscious Ahsoka with her good arm and set off running. Before she left the room them she looked back and saw the being formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, lightsaber lit bathing everything in a hellish alien looking light, a demonic smile on his face and a huge smoldering stump where his right arm used to be.

"Damn you Shaak Ti, you can't run, you can't hide, I will find and kill you if it takes to the end of time. Your soul is mine!" was the last thing she heard as she rounded a corner and put the newly crowned Sith lord behind.

After that it was all a daze. She had fled the Temple, slinking away into the lower levels of Coruscant like a stink beetle into a rotting log. As soon as Ahsoka and her had recovered she had book passage off planet and they had spent the next few months running from system to system until they had met up with Maris and traveled here.

Shaak Ti looked up into the warming light of early dawn and accepted her destiny. The malevolent aura was almost upon them, Vader was coming back to fulfill the promise he made all those years ago. But this time she wouldn't let someone fight her battles for her, this time she would end this once and for all. One way or another.

Gently she shook Ahsoka awake from where she had fallen asleep on her shoulder. "Ahsoka it's time, go get Maris and meet me back in the village. We will discuss strategy then." Ahsoka rose shakily to her feet, her earlier tears dried.

"Yes master." and she was off. Leaving Shaak Ti alone once again with her head turned towards the stars, not nearly as friendly as they were a few minutes ago.

Yes today it would end. One way. Or the other.


	4. The Gauntlet of Madness

**Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction. **

**Ni hao ma? **

**Dissecting the Dark**

**IV**

The rouge shadow entered the planets atmosphere without a single hiccup. Or any as far as Starkiller could tell, his new pilot wasn't being very talkative. Looking out the view-port at the planet below he was struck just how strange the planet he had been sent to truly was.

Large painfully florescent colored mushroom shaped trees were the predominant form of vegetation as far a he could tell, although their were also what appeared to be large seed pods that stretched far into the sky and seemed to defy gravity with their ability to stand upright while remaining mounted on such thin stalks.

Life sign readings were going crazy, both heat and movement registered off the scale which meant that he was going to have to visually confirm targets on the ground before engaging instead of just blasting them into oblivion from above. Now some people might argue that using strafing runs in an assassination mission might be a little overkill and that it wasn't a very honorable way to kill someone.

Well those people were idiots on both counts. Overwhelming force was always an important tactical advantage when creating ones battle strategy. On the second count, he had found that their was no honorable way to kill, it all amounted to the same thing. Now their was a difference between a clean kill and torture and he had never been one to condone the second method, unless of course the victim knew something he needed to know, but it's hard to threaten a dying man with much, much easier to promise him something instead.

"Master I do hope you remember that Felucia is orbiting a class 4 star and as such is prone to excess amounts of light. Caution is advised while working in direct sunlight and it is recommended that you consume a quart of water for every thirty minutes of working in the sun." Proxy announced, reminding him once again something that had been covered multiple times already.

He was dressed in his light training gear with the exception that he had taken the time to sew some leather patches over the portions that had formerly exposed skin. Over his head he had a scarf, wrapped tightly around his face to form a tight turban. The finishing touch was a pair of polarized orange tinted glasses that would help screen out the UV light.

The astromech droid pilot gave off a series of chirps and whistles which Proxy translated to

"We are currently 2 minutes of from our landing zone, which is approximately 6 clicks away from the eye of the Force disturbance." The plan was to head towards that area as quickly as possible, clearing enemies as he went while the _Rouge Shadow_ provided overwatch and close air support if needed. "Satellite reconnaissance also shows there is what appears to be a small village to the southwest of the anomaly. It should prove worth investigating."

"Don't assume to tell me what to do Proxy!" Starkiller ground out, his usually dark mood fouled even greater due to the upsetting nature of the Force. It was almost like it was drawing his anger out of him, making him struggle to maintain his peak levels of anger.

"Very well Master, what is your plan then?" the droid questioned as the ships docking door opened, letting in the harsh light and causing Starkiller to momentarily squint before he placed his glasses over his eyes and walked to the edge of the door. Looking back over his shoulder he fixed Proxy with a last set of instructions.

"Just try and keep up." with that he jumped out of the door and plummeted to the unfamiliar ground before.

Ahsoka tapped her foot and looked at her chrono. She had done like her master had asked and gotten her and Maris to the center of the village and arraigned themselves for battle. She was wearing a traditional Togrutan warrior outfit, made of tanned animal skins and bones. She wore an assortment of bone necklaces, proof of her numerous successful hunts, the primary focus being a large rancor tooth that hung down proudly between the twin mounds of her bosom.

Unfortunately she had not been able to complete her people's rights of passage, as she had not been back to Shili in years. However with the assistance of Shaak Ti she had been able to channel her Togrutan primal rage and complete the great hunt.

Maris was dressed in her usual dark cloak, underneath she was wearing a leather tube top and matching tight leather pants. Her long braids were wrapped around her neck to tuck them away and her guard shotos were holstered where she could easily reach them. Ahsoka was similarly armed, her dagger, sword combo tucked securely away on her belt.

"Where is she? It's been hours!" Ahsoka expressed her worries verbally, levitating a rock about 3 inches above her outstretched hand.

"I don't know." Maris replied simply, adjusting the herself in the lotus position that she currently sat in.

Knowing that not much else was going to come out of this conversation, Ahsoka swore under her breadth and sent the rock flying off into the jungle, pulling up another from the ground and beginning the process all over again.

It had been hours since she had talked to Master Ti out in the woods and the sun had slowly crawled up from the horizon up into midday and the heat had increased ten fold in it's passing. She was worried, it was not like her Master to be late.

So she was genuinely relieved when the familiar robes of her teacher entered the clearing from the jungle. He relief turned to dismay when she realized there was something very wrong.

"Teacher!" she rushed forward, followed moments later by Maris, running over to her wobbling master and helping her over to the shade of a large fungal tree. Setting her down, she was relieved that the older Togruta didn't appear to be injured at all, still her montrals were pale and her pulse was rapid. "Teacher, what happened?"

Shaak Ti smiled and placed one cool hand on Ahsoka's face. "What had to be done little one." she softly stated with a small sad smile. Her hand dropped and she closed her eyes.

"Master!" the two women cried out almost simultaneously and Ahsoka shook her master desperately.

"Calm yourself. It's not my time yet child. I just need to rest for a moment." she said, uncharacteristically irritated at the two women's show of overprotective worrying. "There is still something that I need you to do for me though."

"Anything you want master!"

"I need you too take Maris and get out of here." she stated already anticipating the violent outburst of protest from her students. She wasn't disappointed.

"What are you talking about Master? I'm more than strong enough and it's not like I'm going to be alone." Ahsoka stated, sounding almost hurt.

"I will not be denied my chance to test myself against Vader!" Maris spoke in a harsh whisper, which was about as loud as she would get. _'I won't be denied my vengeance!' _

Master Ti looked at them both for a long moment before shaking her head. She knew they were both on the level of Jedi Knights, Ahsoka's dueling skills probably rising her skill more to that of a master. But she knew it would be pointless, all their training and power would be ineffective against the might of the iron fist of the Empire. It would be as before, hopelessly outmatched but instead of placing her own life at risk, she would be risking the fates of her two young students, which was something that she was not willing to bet to chance.

"You will listen to me." she rose to her feet, her strength returning from the drain of the ritual and looking back and forth between the two girls. "You will leave the village and head south towards one of the southern settlements and secure passage off world."

"But Master..."

"There is nothing to argue about Ahsoka, that is what you are going to do. You can't stand against this evil, none of use can. This is why I have been working these past few years altering the nature of the Force balance on this planet. There is no other chance than to follow the plan that we have waited for years to come to fruition. This is my burden to bear, my students, know that I love you and may the Force be with you." Ahsoka looked to be about to burst into tears and Maris kept her countenance in a tight lipped scowl. "Now go." her tone left no room for argument.

Maris bowed and turned to leave, grabbing her rucksack and placing a hand on the still wavering Togrutan's shoulder. It was a silent gesture of compliance but instead of resisting Ahsoka merely bowed her head and turned to follow the other woman as they walked out of the clearing, giving on final repentant glance before they disappeared into the steamy jungle.

Turning away fighting the tears in her eyes, Shaak Ti headed off in the opposite direction, steeling herself the trials to come.

Dropping the remaining 6 or so meters that was between the ship and ground, Starkiller landed with a mild thump, sending all matter of dead leaves and loose pollen swirling into the air. Wary eyes on a swivel searched the immediate area for danger. Patting his lightsaber, data-pad and SSK-7 heavy blaster pistol and the various thermal detonators he had secreted away, the comforting weight and presence bringing a sense of comfort and security in face of a new hostile environment.

He had only been on planet for a matter of minutes and the best word he could use to describe the place was _hungry_. It had sort of of stuck in time feel to it, as though the planet was still relatively new to the idea of life and was still trying to work out the little kinks.

Thousands of carnivorous plants littered the surrounding jungles, ranging from giant pitchers to great venus fly traps that looked as if they could snap up a small bantha. The giant fungal growths that he had seen while approaching the LZ towered over him easily by a measure of dozens of meters.

The sound of animals, screeching, howling and in general making a giant ruckus, deafened him and he had to work to ignore the cacophony of the fauna orchestra. The air itself felt thick with life and by the amount of sparkling matter and dust that glinted in the sunlight, so it probably was.

As he stalked through the thick underbrush, he idly wondered if he should of brought a re-breather, who knows what kind of spores and bacteria he was currently inhaling. As he walked the limbs of plants that he could of swore were nowhere near him seemed to always end up entangled in his legs or snag on his clothing. That led to a sort of claustrophobic feeling as if the whole jungle was out to get him, to prevent him from reaching his destination.

If that wasn't enough to set him on edge, the unseen situation was even more concerning. The Force was whipped up into in a full fledged tempest and as he closed his eyes and focused on the energies swirling around him he was perturbed to find that the Force flowed like a liquid river, coating and catching everything within it's grasp as it traveled from life-form to life-form, linking all the flora and fauna together in a giant network. He took a moment to sense his mental barriers, pleased to find they had not yet been breached. Even so though he was having a hard time concentrating on honing his anger. Everything was just so serene, he began to feel tired and he felt his pace slowing as the cloying and soothing nature of the light side influenced energies attempting to penetrate his defenses and draw his guard down. The colors, before so vibrant and alive had drifted into shadows, blending together to provide a soothing ambiance, perfect for falling asleep in.

Yawning nosily, Starkiller fumbled in one of his pouches for a second, intent on finding something, something to... his eyes drooped heavily and he found it increasingly hard to concentrate. With his last few remaining seconds of consciousness his hands closed around a small vibro-blade and he withdrew it from the patch. Not thumbing the activation switch he took a deep breath.

Jamming the small blade into the meat of his thigh, Starkiller immediately became alert once more, the cloying effect of the light side seduction unable to keep up with the rage that pain induced. The colors became bright and sharp once again and he was able to once again pick up the pace.

Not a moment to soon as a huge and gray claw smashed down where he had just moments ago stood. Starkiller rolled out of the way, the Force not issuing it's usually warning, instead relying on years of training in avoidance. Rising to his feet he was angered to find himself face to face with a large and extremely angry full grown Rancor.

Said beastie roared a challenge and not waiting any longer, charged full force towards the apprentice Sith. Once again Starkiller rolled away, although this as he leaped into his somersault he ignited his saber, slashing at the hamstring of the towering beast as it passed and he evaded out of harms way.

However his blade did little to no damage, the massive deposits of lard and hard scales making the beast's natural defensive near impenetrable. He would have to play this one smart. So instead he sped of in a flurry of movement, the Force lending his feet inhuman speed. Leaping high in the air to avoid fallen trunks and rocks, he led his oversized pursuer on a merry chase. The rancor didn't bother dodge any of the things in the way, crushing down trees, throwing rocks and brush out of the way and pretty much just being the unstoppable force of nature that it was.

Every couple steps Starkiller would turn and take a few shots with him blaster, though this really did nothing but further enrage the beast. Eventually though he saw what he needed and stopped in front of a huge mushroom tree, stopped turned and began to shoot at the charging beast, aiming mainly for the eyes.

Blinded by rage and the blaster shots the Rancor slammed into the tree, shaking the whole forest and slightly dazing it's self in the process. Stumbling back a few wobbly places, the giant simian pulled it's hands to its head and tried to clear the clouds from its tiny brain by pounding on its head.

Starkiller dropped from the low limb that he had been standing on and landed squarely on the raging beasts back. Pulling his lightsaber out he ignited the weapon and jammed it into the creatures lower neck.

Bucking wildly the rancor attempted to grab him with a meaty fist but all it succeeded in doing was gouging great furrows of flesh off its back. Not able to pry him off, the rancor decided to try and send him flying, jumping up in the air, smashing into trees and rolling on the ground.

Through all of it he held on, grimly refusing to let go. Summoning the power of the Dark Side into a physical presence, his finger tips glowed and lighting issued from them. The beast convulsed with the mass amount of amps flowing through its body, the smell of burning meat prevalent as all the fat and muscle began to cook from the inside out. Starkiller kept the lighting flowing until with a final shake the great beast fell forward like a falling tree. Nimbly he jumped, landing just in front of the gigantic corpses as it fell with a giant thud.

The smell of ozone was thick in the air as he sheathed his saber back on his belt and turned to continue back towards his original objective. He didn't get more than a meter before he heard a cat like growl and turned to see some sort of purple feline predator with what looked liked some pretty vicious claws as it prepared to pounce. In the distance he could hear the sounds of several somethings large crashing through the undergrowth towards him. It was going to be a long day.

Shaak Ti grimaced as she felt the death of the rancor, the void it created as it's life force left it was felt throughout the interconnected energy pathways that made up the network that Felucia had created. It was a necessary sacrifice but it still grated against her peaceful sensibilities to send innocent lives to their deaths. However too much was at stake not to make the sacrifice and she was willing to do whatever it would take to put an end to this menace.

Perched on one of the central tentacles that made up the innermost gum line of the Ancient Abyss, that giant sarlaac that held an entire ancient village in its maw, the Togrutan woman directed her forces. This is what she had been working on for the past 14 years, ever since she and her students first arrived planet-side. This was the culmination of all that hard work and if the galaxy had any justice it would be enough.

Most people, even other force users, didn't realize that Felucia unique Force fields were not caused by the variety and sheer amount of life present, rather it was more akin to a giant life form with the individual life forms as cells and with the gigantic Maw the nexus, the point where all energies came to finally rest. Now the planet didn't have any sort of sentience but more like awareness, much like how white blood cells attack foreign bodies with minimal direction.

She had first noticed this while studying the Jungle Felucians, who were all force sensitives, actually dependent on the Force saturated planetary conditions to survive. It was from these observations that she had came up with her plan.

By melding with the great collective consciousness of the sarlaac below she could tie herself into the network as a modulator and subtly influenced the way things ran. Not any large changes, but sending a mental suggestion to the numerous predators in the area that there was a delicious colony of wamp rats living right at the dark interlopers location was easy enough. She hoped it would be enough, her interfacing in this way was sure to draw him to her and if he made it through the wild beasts and the Jungle Felucians she would have a major home field advantage.

She concentrated harder focusing on pulling in even more beasts into the ring. If she could finish this day with a minimal amount of blood spilled. If she failed they would be swimming in it by the end. Drowning more like.

Another Rancor dead, decapitated and she shuddered as she relived it's final moments through the neural feedback. The Sith was almost to the village, she would have to act decisively. Send out a silent prayer to the force she ordered her first group warriors into the fray.

The forest behind him was littered with the fallen corpses of a myriad collection of native carnivores that had been until recently trying to add him to the menu. '_Frak this is an unfriendly place.'_

So far he had killed three rancors, 2 acklays, at least twenty of the big cat like creatures and one particularly nasty Bangladarian bull frog; still they just kept on coming.

He pushed through a particularly thick barricade of bushes, those seemed to be getting more and more frequent the deeper he had traveled. He had last consulted his data pad and according to the on board navigation suite that Proxy had uploaded for him he could tell that the first village was just a few dozen meters ahead so he was attempting stealth. No reason to jump into a situation without first doing a little recon. Up ahead he could see the massive tentacles of the Ancient Maw stretching into the sky just a little farther beyond where he was.

Silently he crept forward, moving between the bushes and avoiding steeping on any dry brush or leaves. When he poked his head out as he paused at the end of the wood line and surveyed the area ahead of him. Small rustic looking huts lined the edge of an opening in the forest, pitiful looking constructions made mostly of unfinished wood and jaggedly cut quarry rock. The village's residents were currently standing around not doing much of anything. Though they didn't have to work hard to distinguish themselves through oddity, their appearance did that for them.

The construction of their bodies was vaguely planet like, composed of tendrils wrapped around a large central muscular torso. Two thick root like legs reached down from their torsos and connected to the ground, giving them the appearance of being planted. All their limbs consisted of interwoven fibers of muscle like tissue and as far as he could tell they didn't have eyes or any other type of human like qualities. One hand was a series of vicious looking claws while the other was a series of tentacles. A motley collection of weapons was clutched in the mobs tentacles and from what he could tell was mostly primitive spears and bows, with a few clubs and swords thrown in for good measure.

The shift in the Force was unmistakeable and the reaction of the previously immobile plant creatures was eerily coordinated as they all turned in place to face Starkiller, like a series of automated turbo-lasers fixing on a rouge starship.

"Frak." Starkiller muttered under his breath, emerging from the underbrush and igniting his lightsaber, as there was no point in any longer hiding. Somehow these flora founded guard dogs had been alerted to his presence. It was probably that unidentifiable shift in the Force.

Well he would have to think about it later as the first bi-pedal beasts reached his location, swinging its primitive club in an attempt to cave his skull in. Well at least they were relatively slow, the native didn't even try to dodge as he bisected it clearly down the middle.

The two halves peeled apart with a slow sucking sound and Starkiller turned to slice away the tip of a spear that had been about to impale him. Spinning backwards the assassin held his saber with two hands and cut the head-like tendril growth off the top of the aliens torso causing it to topple backwards.

However his work was just beginning as even more of the primal xenos rushed to the battle and pretty soon he was almost overwhelmed just by the sheer number of axes, knives, swords and other archaic weaponry that was being utilized against him. He attempted to force jump out from the crazed melee but to his ever growing annoyance he realized some thing was holding him to the earth. Glancing down he realized that the alien he had cut in half was somehow still alive and had wrapped it's tentacles around his leg. No doubt it would of used its claw hand to rip his leg to shreds, but currently the half equipped for such a task was seizing wildly a few feet away.

_'Tough bastards aren't they.'_

Hot agony gripped his right arm as his momentary lack of concentration allowed a wickedly barbed club to strike into his left arm. He could feel the multiple lacerations lash into his flesh caused a horrendous amount of pain to be manifested, only to become exponentially greater when the barbs were yanked out of his arm, tearing chunks of flesh out as they left. It was excruciating, but he had surprisingly suffered worse. Force lighting lived up to reputation as an effective torture/ training advice.

Knowing he would be torn to pieces if he did not do something to escalate his level of violence, he kicked loose from the halved creature still trying to bring him down from below and lashed out with a bit of Force lighting, watching in satisfaction as the alien's physiology reacted well, bursting into flames. If he hadn't been so busy dodging and slicing he maybe would of smiled.

Knowing he had to put some distance between himself and the raving mob that had been steadily gaining in size, now about two dozen strong, he focused himself, as much as he could while bobbing and weaving like crazy. He focused on the massive pools of energy that existed within himself and pushed it to the surface. It was akin to pushing an ocean through a eyedropper, eventually something had to give.

The massive pulse of raw energy seethed from every facet of his body in a full 360 degree sphere, actually lifting him about a foot off the ground and throwing the assembled Felucian natives through the air like discarded child's playthings. This move was known as a repulse, essentially it was a Force push but the combatant expanded the projected arc to a spherical shape.

Dropping down into the shallow crater he had created, Starkiller panted from the exertion of executing the advanced force technique. Even worse he could see that while some of his enemies lay obviously broken or even splattered from where they had landed the majority were already beginning to pick themselves up. Not to mention his wounded limb, which he had managed to largely ignore from pure adrenaline was starting to noticeably impair his combat ability. Blood was steadily leaking out of the savaged limb causing him to begin to feel woozy.

If one thought the situation could not get any worse, he would be proved wrong as even more natives swarmed into the village. Aliens mounted on war paint covered rancors directed their steeds towards the battle with expert reins.

Fed up with these beasts, Starkiller mounted the one house in the village that had a roof and activated his com-link, connecting to Proxy and the _Rouge Shadow_. "Proxy I need a gun run near my position."

He took the fleeting moment of peace to take out a can of spray-bacta and with a scream of agony ripped his shirt down to expose the wound and sprayed a generous coating. It would not heal right away, but it would slow if not stop the bleeding, which would have to do for now. "I am sending you the coordinates now, you will proceed from a north west direction and continue your passes until ordered otherwise."

"_Yes Master. Commencing gun run."_ Far off in the distance, Starkiller could hear the faint sounds of an aircraft approaching, getting louder and louder with every second. Off in the distance he could see it incoming from the north, following the correct direction he had relayed for the most effective attack. But the question still remained would the airstrike make it in time. More and more Felucians were pouring out of the woodwork, there had to be hundreds of the smaller warriors and dozens of rancors out there right now. Already they had reached his temporary sanctuary and he slashed at their grasping hands to keep them at bay.

_"We are approaching the target in 5 seconds master." _The ship was easily recognizable as the _Shadow _now, rising up in what would become a parabolic arc. One of the aliens managed to get onto the roof and charged him, spear held aloft in a menacing way.

"_Four."_ He sliced through the head tentacles and sent the creature to the afterlife but not before four more had managed to make it one top.

_"Three."_he dodged a clumsy blow and circled around his opponent, grabbing him by the shoulder while he was off balance and threw him into a sword thrust that had been aimed at him. The ship reached its peak and began to dive.

_"Two." _He was shoved from behind, one of the aliens had used the shaft of their spear, and almost went over the edge, but at the last second he managed to keep from falling over the edge.

_"One." _Proxy announced and Starkiller used a force push with his good hand to propel the alien that had pushed him off the roof to his intended fate. Five more of the creatures climbed up onto the roof, even as he sent out a chain of lighting that combusted two. He was being overwhelmed and could only last for a few more seconds.

_'Where the frak is that air support!'_

His question was answered just in the nic of time, the _Rouge Shadow _screaming down from the heavens with a thunderous roar as it went into a dive, turbo-lasers firing like the wrath of an angry god. Red crimson streaks flew towards the ground impacted with impressive force, vaporizing some of the warriors and sending others exploding into little bits of bloody viscera. Rancors were cut in half by the sheer force of the attack their tough skin and natural resiliency no match for a weapon that was designed to cut through heavy shields and dura-steel hulls.

The Jungle Felucians that had survived shakily picked themselves up and groggily reorganized themselves for the attack, but no where as organized or ferocious as they had been before. Not that it would matter.

The _Rouge Shadow_ had pulled back around and commenced its second run.

The feedback was so intense that Shaak Ti was physically thrown off her perch to the hard ground below. She lay there for a few minutes convulsing, as hundreds of Jungle Felucians were systematically wiped out. It was an eerily familiar feeling to the horrible sensation that had been forced onto her during the Great Purge. Eventually she had to concede defeat, dropping the melding in order to save herself from death or worse.

She lay there for a while, drenched in perspiration, bosom heaving heavily as she tried to suck in as much air as possible. She hadn't died which was a good thing, but at the very least she would have a horrible headache. This wasn't going at all like she had hoped.

There is no question about it now, the Sith Lord was going to get through. Without the neural link, she could not direct her forces nearly as efficiently as before. The only friendlies left between her and the incoming menace was her specially trained natives stationed at the edge of the sarlaac pit. They were powerful but if he had managed to slay that many of the others, then they would stand no chance.

At that point it would be up to her to stop the menace herself. She shuddered as she remembered her brutal defeat all those years ago in the Jedi Temple and she had been younger then too. True with age comes experience but without the stamina and power to use that experience it was practically worthless.

She had one more technique at her disposal, though she hoped it wouldn't come down to that. If it did...

Well it wouldn't really matter because she wouldn't be around to have it bother her.

Finally catching her breath back, she sat up and tentatively reached out with the Force and tried to reconnect to the Felucian bio system. She managed to create a tenuous link and found that the network was still in chaos, reeling from the massive loss of life, somewhat like one component of a computer burning out suddenly and leaving the rest of the system to make up for the missing piece.

_'Strange analogy, but accurate.' _the Togrutan woman mused, but her thoughts quickly turned to more pressing matter. Vader had begun to engage her initiates. Soon it would be time.

Ahsoka was going to follow her Master's orders, she really was, but as she and Maris had been walking south with a plan to secure passage off world, she had finally silenced the nagging sensation that had been growing in her gut ever since she had first caught wind of the dark presence that had been approaching. Now that it was close she could almost taste the pure evil, like drinking a glass of refreshing blue milk only to find out halfway that it had gone bad. Or the smell of rotten flesh, cloying, smothering and would burn in your nostrils for days.

There was something else though, something familiar and it had only taken a few minutes within this close proximity to figure out what it was.

_'Skyguy!' _No that wasn't quite right it was Dark Vader and as such the aura was significantly darker, but the similarities were still there. The hate was less controlled, more wild, yet passive. Not to mention that the arrogance wasn't nearly as great as even Anakin's had been.

She didn't know how she was sensing this much about the presence, seeing things that usually she would never see, but she guessed it had something to do with the unique nature of this world.

It didn't matter though, while there was something still off about the presence, she was sure without any measure of reasonable doubt that it was her master. Instantly her action was clear and she took off running back the way they came.

She was vaguely aware of Maris yelling something after her, but she was too wrapped up in thinking about the upcoming confrontation that was sure to change things.

She would talk to him, try and bring out something, anything that would give her hope that some small spark of her master had survived. She was older now, more mature, maybe she would be able to control her rage and actually for once do something good with her life. She would never dream of it but some small tiny part of her believed that he could truly be saved and that she was the one going to do it.

If that failed he would die at her hand.

All of a sudden out of nowhere Ahsoka had taken off running back towards the village.

"Hey idiot! Don't you remember what Master said!" she yelled, but either the other girl didn't hear her or didn't listen and soon she was left alone in the woods.

_'Frak this! Alone in the woods on an alien planet? Even if I am a Jedi that just sounds like too like a bad holoflick to be good.' _"Hey Ahsoka wait up!" she yelled as she took off after her friend.

Yeah so she didn't know what the hell was going on but it was better than sitting around her waiting to become rancor drek.

The giant tendrils of the Ancient Maw rose up to Stygian heights before him as Starkiller picked his way through the smoking ruin that had once been a village. If he had been a lesser man he would of gagged at his surroundings but thankfully he was not one of those.

Chunks of Felucian and rancor lay intermixed on the blasted ground, the destruction so devastating that it was impossible to tell which bits had come from which species. It wasn't a pretty sight, nor was it a pretty smell. However lacking sufficient time to take in the scenery he continued on his way, back into the woods towards the massive life form ahead and the Force signature that shone like a beacon in the dark of night.

There was a clearing for about half a mile around the perimeter of the giant sarlaac, the sheer massive amount of corrosive enzymes it put out making the soil around it to support any sore of flora. He had herd tales of the great creature dragging full grown bull rancors down into its titanic gullet but fear did not have any hold on him and he continued through the strangely lifeless desert until he reached the first row of massive teeth. The presence was actually coming from _inside _this monster so he would have to enter through the gaps in the teeth and somehow work his way farther down into the things gullet.

Something whizzed by his head and he ducked behind a large skull of some long dead animal. More projectiles rattled off his bone barrier and he pulled out his blaster and leaned around the corner.

There was about 20 more of the plant like aliens taking cover amidst the gigantic teeth of the sarlaac From what he could see they were better armed than their previous brethren had been, having metal swords and shields and what seemed to be mighty longbows, the latter being what was currently bouncing off his barricade. Stranger yet their seemed to be five or so unarmed looking natives, wearing elaborate bone headpieces interwoven in their head tentacles. He didn't know what their deal was but wasn't arrogant enough to assume that just because they didn't have any weapons meant they were no threat.

Popping up from behind cover, he took up a steady firing position with his head low and feet spaced evenly apart; he then let off a tightly grouped three round burst. His marksmanship proved to be reliable as always as one of the bow wielding aliens back basically exploded outwards with a purple mist, the super heated plasma bolts going right through it, turning everything it touched into vapor.

He dropped back down, just in time to avoid a precisely fired arrow that would of hit him square in the forehead. Shuffling a bit to the right he popped up again and repeated his actions, this time putting two of the things down before ducking back down.

They continued this dance again for a while and Starkiller found himself idly wondering why they don't teach this sort of thing in the Stormtrooper Academy. Seemed kind of retarded to attack in waves, hoping that some of your number would reach the end of the gauntlet able to fight. It was as stupid as wearing white all over everything and putting your shield generator outside the shield itself.

A couple of minutes later he had effectively whittled his opponents numbers down sufficiently that he felt he could take the chance and bound to the next bit of cover, a bit of rock sticking up out of the sand. Waiting until a large salvo of arrows had passed him by so that the majority of them would be reloaded he slid around the corner, igniting his lightsaber in his good hand to deflect any spare bolts and spraying suppressing fire from his wounded side. Moving as fast as he possibly could, he enhanced his steps with the force and covered the distance in a flash before sliding back into cover.

Now only about 15m from his enemies he was finally with in thermal detonator range, a tool that was perfect for clearing out entrenched foes. Plucking one from his one of his many pouches, he activated the sphere and chucked it towards the foes, minutely adjusting the trajectory so that it wasn't a good throw but perfect.

A few seconds later one section of the alien's hasty defensive line explodes in a plume of fire and sand, sending bits of a few unfortunate souls flying through the air and causing others to simply crump over and lie still.

Before the dust had a chance to settle, Starkiller rushed the hastily erected fortifications this time only drawing his melee weapon as he dived into the still murky air and began cutting down his foes with efficient strokes, once in a while shooting out some lighting to finish a still wriggling enemy.

_'Huh, they don't ever make a sound, even when eviscerated. Interesting.'_ he wondered, it was true and somewhat queer that. Besides the roars of the rancors earlier this entire battle had actually been a pretty quiet affair. Strange how something like that caught his attention and not the sudden Force stimuli of an incoming attack.

_'Wasn't expecting that.'_ He stated as he recovered from the wall of force that had smashed against him, flipping backwards in mid-air and landing on his feet. In front of him in the settling dust he could make out one of the unarmed jungle dwellers with his hand raised, the obvious culprit.

Now while it wasn't an extremely strong blast it was still a pretty painful annoyance, the shockwave playing hell with his wounded arm. It had also knocked his turban off his head and exposed his sensitive skin to the harsh sunlight.

As he sensed the being begin to gather the energies for another push, he beat him to the punch gesturing with his bad hand in a clenching motion. The alien shaman was none to gently picked off the ground, struggling uselessly to free himself. Feeling much satisfaction from the visceral aspect of what he was about to do, Starkiller clenched his fist and his victims neck rotated at an impossible angle, rending it finally still. Gesturing casually, he threw the corpses into another one of the enemy magicians sending both of them over the edge into the darkness of the sarlaac gut below.

The brutality of his actions was starting to bring out his blood lust and as a result he felt his power begin to noticeably grown in response. The pain from his arm began to fade and with a simple flick of the wrist he snapped off one of the sarlaac's smaller teeth and rammed it through the chest of one of the force wielding aliens with a satisfying amount of bodily fluids released.

His blood induced rage now in full effect he smirked as another group of pathetic mewling worms attempted to smite him with their puny weapons. He let go of his inhibitions, cutting without any sort of hesitation a path of destruction through their week flesh. He bisected, halved, eviscerated, disemboweled, quartered and destroyed his enemies and soon enough he found himself, coated in liters of blue blood and a bunch of unidentified nasty bits, facing the last of his foes.

It was one of the tribal shamans, this one larger and more intricately adorned than his now departed fellows. They faced each other for a few long seconds and Starkiller for the first time felt some sort of emotion coming from the silent xenos. It was sadness, apparently he had decimated an entire tribe today, this elder being the last of his line left. These images were imparted to him, a final ironic gift.

"Ta' rut, ma garoosh-sha." The alien finally spoke in a deep low melodic rumbling voice, words that would have been considered beautiful by many. "Pun muun la..."

"Be quiet fool and DIE!" Starkiller cackled, insane grin stretching his face to near ripping. With one fluid motion he brought his hand up, at the same time lifting the silenced elder and then pausing for what would seem to be effect, he brought his outstretched fingers into a fist. The effect was quite spectacular. The alien imploded like a ripe fruit being crushed, squeezed dry by the power of Starkiller's mad rage.

He let the mangled remains drop unceremoniously to the ground and walked to the edge of the pit, looking for more things to kill, mission now forgotten., the only thing on his mind was the rending a tearing that would feed this new bottomless appetite. Standing at the edge of the pit he howled wordlessly into the abyss and briefly had a rather tantalizing vision of ripping apart the massive being before him, literally drowning himself in it's potent and ancient blood.

So far gone was he in his own private blood lust, he failed to notice the stirring of one of his not yet quite dead victims behind him. It was the shaman who he had impaled, just clinging to life, barely able to move. Muttering a silent prayer to honor all his fallen warrior brothers and the great earth mother, it used the last of his strength in on final telekinetic feat.

Starkiller was only able to turn around as the concussive Force push hit him, picking him up and sending him flying off the precipice and into the great abyss beyond.

Shaak Ti, Ahsoka and Maris had all felt the horrifying change in their enemy's aura and it brought the same emotions of fear in varying degrees to all of them. Whatever demon had become unleashed this fateful day it was their solemn duty to at all cost to prevent it from escaping lest the rest of the galaxy feel the effects of this new madness.

A/N Now before you get all crazy on the insane change in SK's personality, let me tell you there is a reason for this drastic change and it will probably be explained next chapter. Also it's not permanent though it will have an impact on the story. Yes I know this was a long one, but right now I'm on leave and have nothing else to do so I got a little carried away by the writing process. And also a hearty thanks to wingofpain and (I'm just gonna use an acronym here for the sake of simplicity ((though it actually took longer to write this footnote explaining it than it would otherwise (((weird right))) )) ) STFMP2 for reviewing.

Wingofpain in response to your review, I think I could see what you were talking about in my summary, so I deleted the long winded bit (though you can probably tell by my writing that's usually how I am) and added some more pertinent information instead. Tell me what you think. And as far as the pairing its actually going to be Galen Marek/IG-88, the bounty hunter/ assassin droid from Empire Strikes Back. Definitely gonna have to up the rating to M to account for the lemons between these two. Great because since droids don't have genders I won't be accused of writing slash! ZOMOG!

I'm joking and hope everyone realizes that. Probably just lost a third of my readership. Sophists.

Oh and speaking of lemons though, I have a 5,000 word beauty written already based on this story. It won't be posted as part of this story and doesn't actually fit anywhere outside of the characters, but I had never written one before and decided to give it a hand, turned out pretty good I think. No I have no shame.

Anyways, next time it's gonna finally be Smexi Master vs Dark Apprentice and someones going to suffer from extreme bodily harm.

Daijian suckas

PurMem


	5. Perdition

**Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction. **

**Asalam alaykum, tsenge ge? Te hor sassaista ye.**

**Dissecting the Dark**

**V**

Starkiller painfully struggled to open his eyes, feeling as though there was a heavy weight holding them closed. Finally he managed to get open just a sliver and he immediately felt nauseous, his vision swimming from both the bright light and the lingering remains of whatever head injuries he seemed to have sustained.

Far up above him, about 60m or so, he could see the ledge that he had fallen from. Thankfully it was not a straight drop and from the bruising around his body he must of rolled a good portion of the way along the heavily sloped gum line. Otherwise there would have been no doubt, he would be dead.

He could only remember a few vague bits and pieces of the last few minutes he had spent fighting the shamans before he had fallen. Everything else was a sort of red haze, unfamiliar and dark in his mind. He didn't know if his sudden memory loss was because of his fall or something else. However he could remember his mission and a little fall wasn't going to stop him form finishing this. He rolled to the side. _'Frak!'_ he expressed as his lower legs fell over the side of the cliff he had unknowingly landed next to. His torso followed and for the second time that day he felt himself about to enter free fall. Not eager to repeat the experience. his hands scrabbled fruitlessly for anything to grab onto.

Thankfully he found something, a tiny tooth that was just starting to poke through the gum's soft pink lining. Clinging onto it like a drowning man in a storm he slowly, painfully pulled himself up, the wound on his arm reopening and spewing coagulated blood down his tunic's side. He screamed a wordlessly as he finally rolled himself up back onto the precipice.

Quickly reaching into his first aid kit he pulled out the can of bacta and applied another dose to his maimed limb. Then he pulled out two compressed packs of sterile gauze and ripped them open with his teeth. Ripping the first in half, he applied a pad to his wound, wincing at the pain from the contact. Then he wrapped it with the second gauze using about half of it before balling up the second part of the first bandage and placing it on top of the would also. Then he wrapped the remainder around the entire thing, creating a makeshift pressure bandage.

Before he had reopened the wound the pain had been intense but now it was agonizing and he had to fight to stay calm. He wouldn't be able to fight like this, so he reached back into his first aid kit and pulled out two auto-injectors. Raising the first needle to his thigh he jammed it in, the contents immediately flowing into his capillary rich thigh and ferrying the potent pain medication to the rest of his body. The second vial contained a solution originally intended to increase the reaction time and reflexes of fighter pilots. For this one he had to reach behind his head, sticking it into the sensitive tissue right above his spine. The potent uppers filtered into his neck, hitting his brain stem and almost immediately taking effect.

Suddenly the world around him exploded into a million bright lights, before his vision came back. Everything just looked sharper and more defined. He couldn't even feel his wounded arm any more but whether that was due to the pain killers of the sheer amount of sensory data his mind was trying to process he was unsure, but he realized he had better get a move on while he was fully aware. So he picked a direction where the strongest force presence was and started walking.

The space between the sarlaac's multiple gum lines was massive and far up ahead Starkiller could see what looked like buildings nestled within the teeth of the mighty beast. This was only the second ring down, he had been unlucky as he had landed on a protrusion that supported one of the gigantic white teeth so the space had been very limited, why he had almost fallen off when he first woke up.

As he walked towards the hidden village the span of the ledge he was on began to widen, until it was nearly 300m across. The ground was composed of the sarlaac's ancient hard gray flesh and Starkiller suspected that the titanic beast wouldn't even feel it if he impaled the ground with his saber.

Overhead and farther into the pit he could see massive tentacles moving silently around in the dark and he wondered why he hadn't been attacked yet. Probably not conceived as a threat and too small to be worth catching to eat.

He had been walking for approximately 30 or so minutes when he finally reached the strange village. Unlike the one he had previously encountered and razed to the ground, this one actually looked as if there had been some care in creating it. Primitive carvings covered almost every surface, old faded blood red wooden gargoyles, meant to perhaps scare off evil spirits. Totem poles dwelled in seemingly every shadowed alcove, ugly fish like eyes staring at him. Darkness seemed to creep over everything, one of the sarlaac's humongous teeth covering the village in shadow. Noticing that the harsh UV light was no longer a threat he pulled the goggles from his face and slid them down around his neck.

Starkiller took all of this in at once, courtesy of the concentration drugs, he could even feel the cobblestone street through the thick soles of his boots. Though still potent he could already feel the drug begin to wear off, hopefully the pain medication would last longer.

The force presence that he had been following ever since he made planet side was incredibly close. He could almost taste _her. _Yes it was a female Jedi, he was able to reach that much through the whisperings of the force. Her presence having a more maternally strong feel to it than the prideful macho arrogance than he had felt from his previous quarry. That still didn't change anything though.

Now that he thought about it he didn't think he had ever killed a female, this would be something new.

No, wait, he had killed a woman.

_'Juno.' _the whisper escaped the depths of his mind unbidden and unwanted, longing and pain evident in its desperate pitch. She had been dead the moment she had entered into his service, another victim of his inability to for even once to determine his own fate. Dead as surely as if he had murdered with his own two hands. As always his weakness prevented salvation from the taint that was his life.

"I sense there is much sadness in you young one." a soothing kind voice issued from strange angles, seemingly projecting from every corner of the abandoned ancient town. He had entered what could perhaps be considered the town square, a large courtyard adorned with benches and the remains of ancient planters that probably long ago had once held beautiful exhibits of the native flora.

Truly the only thing that ruined the peaceful seen was the gigantic tentacle that had seemingly sprouted up in the center of the plaza, probably once home to a decorative fountain or monument of some kind. It was huge; reaching well over the surrounding buildings and thicker than six men standing side by side.

"You are not however, whom I had been expecting. Who are you, boy?" the voice issued forth again, calm, controlled, peaceful, but now with just a hint of curiosity. An uncomfortable niggle formed in the back of Starkiller's mind as he felt himself being pulled into this peaceful state by the serene siren. He still couldn't see her, but even as the mind enhancer began to fade he actually caught a whiff of her scent.

_'Millaflowers and musk.'_ It didn't smell...bad. The niggling at the back of his skull became a full blown itch.

"Why are you here?" the voice though still as melodious and pleasing as before had become more pressing and the itch had evolved to something more akin to an vibro-blade being jammed into his skull. Gritting his teeth he worked on reversing the sirens now revealed plot.

Concentrating on his core beliefs, he created a mental suit of armor for his mind, strength flowing from those comfortable and familiar beliefs. These unique and personal thoughts would confuse and disorient an unwanted intruder and give the defender time to execute a counter attack. This was one of a couple ways that he had been taught by his master to respond to such an attack.

Forcefully and with ease, he pushed the mental interlopers invading tentacles out of his mind. Soon enough the psychic attack was completely repelled and he was left feeling surprisingly insulted that his opponent had mustered such a weak attack. "Come coward, I tired of your tricks, show yourself!" he yelled attempting to get in contact with the Jedi's innate sense of vanity.

In perhaps an answer to his challenge, the large tentacle slowly descended down from on high and bent gently, lowering itself so it that the end of the giant limb was brought down to a mere few meters above his head. His target had finally chosen to reveal herself.

The Togrutan female known a Shaak Ti sat in the lotus position on the tip of the monstrous limb. Eye's closed and face completely blank she was the epitome picture of serenity. She was wearing a simple robe, modeled in the style of the Old Republic and held a single lightsaber clipped to her belt with no effort made to hide it.

"What is your name boy?" the ex-Jedi Council member questioned. Starkiller turned his burning gaze up to meet her lidded eyes.

"Death." his projected whisper seemed to hang in the air with an immense amount of malevolence and promise. Any other being would been scared stiff at this proclamation, but the Jedi merely smiled.

"Oh?" she sounded amused at his attempt to inspire fear "So, _Death_, who is the master that has sent you scuttling all the way to the Outer Rim?" Starkiller clenched his gloved fist in anger, but did not rise to the bait this time and kept his tongue.

"Nothing to say? I thought you would have prepared something after coming all this way. Sith are well known for their flair for the dramatic, certainly say you did that with your little stunt at the village. There..."

"ENOUGH!" Starkiller shouted and threw himself forward, slashing through the tentacle's thick base in one clean movement. Since it was bent over at the time the tentacle fell slowly, the huge mass of flesh picking up speed quickly before it smashed into one of the adjacent buildings, sending piece of the ancient architecture flying in all directions. He had hoped that the Jedi would be crushed in the resulting impact but that was for naught, the Togrutan jumping nimbly off her perch and lightly landing a little ways from Starkiller.

"Sith are also known for their lack of patience, a trait you seem to share with them." Shaak Ti had lowered herself to the ground again and sat in a similar pose to her earlier position. "These compulsions drive you to make rash decisions, to rely on your emotions for strength; which will always end up in your undoing."

Her lack of indifference infuriated Starkiller and he charged at her with a snarl. She waited until he was mere steps away before erupting into action, like a volcano that had reached its boiling point, beautiful but incredibly deadly. Her blue lightsaber activated with a "snshsk" and she redirected his first blow away and down before slapping him across the face with her free hand.

Starkiller backed away to regroup, not from pain but from surprise. He had not expected that from the peaceful Jedi. Really though it only served to anger him even more, driving him to even greater levels of violence.

As the fight recommenced, he could feel his control over his anger slipping. His master had always been very adamant, for a Sith anger was a tool to be controlled, not the other way around. No matter how much dark energy and negative emotion one could muster it was worthless without control.

However he could slowly feel his control slipping as his slashes became less and less refined and more bestial like. It got to the point where he could no longer form and coherent thought. Other than the need to taste this beautiful creature's blood.

_'There is much hatred in this young man, but much sadness as well.'_ Shaak Ti thought as the two Force users viciously dueled amidst the ruined town-stead. Truthfully she pitied the young man and with other circumstances would of loved to hear his story. As it was now though she was battling the mentally degrading Sith and while currently holding her own, the balance of battle was slowly tipping in her opponents favor. The seemingly loss of rational thought allowing him to even the odds. Even then she was surprised just how strong this human was in the force, properly trained he could maybe rival the late Master Windu in power or even surpass him. Strange as the only two known Sith in the galaxy with this kind of power were Darth Vader and his master the Emperor. Though since that was the case she had a good idea just who had sent this assassin after her. Sith always had one apprentice and since Vader fell under the Emperor then...

It was somewhat disappointing that it was not Vader that had personally come to pay her back for all those years ago and the loss of his last good hand. _'Just like a Sith to send another to do his dirty work. Though there is something familiar about this young man. If only I could place it.' _She dodged a heavy downward strike that cut at least a good half meter into the heavy stone floor. Shaak Ti took this chance to launch a spinning kick into the Sith's temple. The dark clothed young man didn't so much as flinch and she could feel his rock hard neck muscles flex as they absorbed her blow with little to no effort. He ripped his saber out of the ground and continued the fight.

She knew why his aura was becoming increasingly unstable as the fight continued. It was this place, Felucia, but more specifically the Ancient Maw that was affecting the Sith in this way. This planet always had had a sort of polarizing effect on the Force, tending to push the balance one way or the other. During her years of hard work she had managed to tip the scale more in the Light's favor, leaving very little Dark presence within or on the planet. But since the force always required a mixture of the two that remaining negative energy was latching on to the only receptor suitable to receive it and it was overwhelming him with its potency. Since the Ancient Maw worked as the central nexus for the Force energies the closer he got the worse its effects were on him.

"I know who sent you here Sith," she stated, keeping her calm exterior even as she was slowly but surely falling behind in her defense. "I used to know your master before he became Vader, when he was still a Jedi. He was just like you then, full of anger and arrogance. Most of us on the council," she took a break to deflect some low slashes that would of cut her legs off at the knees if it had connected. "knew that he would never be a true Jedi, too weak in mind to reach his full potential." She jumped high using the force and landed on one of the nearby buildings and threw her saber back at him, forcing the young darksider to leap to the side, before pulling her weapon back to her outstretched hand. "Later only when he was killing defenseless children and slaughtering his former friends and comrades, did we see truly just how weak he was." She was trying to bring even more anger out in her enemy, eventually his body would not be able to take it anymore and would be forced to shut down from the sheer stress of maintaining such a high emotional charge.

The bestial roar from below showed that her ploy was working as he launched himself at her and not even bothering to jump up, instead plowing through the building an immensely powerful force push sent before him smashing the aged rubble to bits. As such he exploded out of the center of the building right underneath her and catching her completely by surprise.

The iron gloved grip around her throat confirmed the forces suggestion of immediate danger in a painful matter. The man had dropped his lightsaber in favor of an apparently more personal approach, his other hand in a firm grip around her sword arm, keeping her from bringing her saber into play. Unfocused, hate filled, light brown eyes burned into her own and suddenly she realized where she had felt that personal aura before, or at least a very similar one. Yes the similarities were definitely there, but just the sheer chance of that being possible was slim to none.

She had once known a Jedi Master named as Kento Marek, but before his exile he was said to be incredibly gifted in the force, as was his lover Mallie. Their forbidden relationship and the child that came out of it, was the reason they had been forced to leave the order, though from what she had heard Kento was close to leaving anyways, the conservative views of the Council differing from his more modern ones. The last she had heard they had settled on Kashyyyk and were raising their son. _'Son...'_ Those eyes and the strong chin were almost an identical match to the older Jedi Master that she had once known, not to mention the eerily similar Force aura, the only difference being this one was much much stronger.

"Sith, listen to me. I know who you are, I don't know how you have come to this but I..." her plea was ignored as the Sith growled, actually growled, and she felt her body being lifted off the ground. The feeling of constriction increased and her vision began to darken as she felt herself losing consciousness, the stout bones of her Togrutan physiology the only reason her neck hadn't snapped yet. The grip tightened again and her bones ground under the stress. She was going to die at the hands of this wayward exile before she even had a chance to implement her final solution. That was unacceptable.

Thinking quickly she reared back her left leg and launched her attack.

He didn't care what the bitch was trying to gurgle out, he was far past caring about pretty much everything by that point. Starkiller wanted to feel nothing but the meaty crack as her fragile neck snapped under his grip, to feel as her life slowly, painfully left her body, blank eyes staring begging for salvation that would never come. Just a little more pressure.

A horrible pain momentarily brought him back to the realm of sanity and he collapsed to his knees under the horrendous feeling, dropping the Jedi in the process. He cupped his wounded manhood protectively and moaned, falling from his knees to his side and rolling away from the cause of so much pain.

What the hell had happened to him? He could barely remember the second half of the fight, the same red veil descending over his memories like what had happened on the edge of the sarlaac pit. Though this time he couldn't blame it on erstwhile after effects of a head injury. Something was wrong with this place and it was slowly eroding what little control he had left. Truly as he recovered from his rather embarrassing injury, he could already feel himself falling back into mindlessness.

The Togrutan woman was struggling to raise herself up, ugly bruises already beginning to form on her neck and arm. She was good and frankly he had no idea how he had been almost defeated her. While he had much more power behind him, she was the superior fighter with more experience that negated such things. It didn't matter though hopefully he could finishing her off while her defenses were down, before he lost himself again.

Finding his lightsaber discarded on the floor, he turned to finish what he had started, only to find that the Jedi was no longer where he had left her. Searching for her both through his eyes and through the force, he was lucky he detected her with a second to spare as a gigantic tentacle smashed down on the roof he had been occupying turning it to dust and debris.

It seems this battle had just taken another unexpected direction.

She had almost died, her risky disabling shot had been the only thing that had saved her. Currently though, Shaak Ti was still hurting, her sword arm feeling like it had been partially fractured by the Sith's vice like grip.

So she had to try a different approach, retreating through a series of force assisted jumped and back flips up onto a tall building that must of once been some sort of temple. Once there she painfully centered her mind and attempted to reconnect to the Felucian Force web, seeking out the giant beast all around her, begging for its assistance. Fortunately, while the intelligence of a sarlaac at any given moment could be argued the grand beast could detect evil in its midst and reluctantly agreed to rend aid.

Hopefully that would be enough.

_'This is really, really starting to piss me off! Frakking tentacles!' _Starkiller cursed as he sliced through yet another questing member. He realized now that the Jedi must be behind this, he could sense her deep in concentration up on what looked like a partially destroyed church.

So far though every time he had tried to reach her, his path had been blocked by one of the giant semi-sentient arms of the Sarlaac. And it seemed like no matter how many he managed to cut off, there would always be another one, bursting through the ground to replace them. He would have to reconsider his actions and come up with a better course of action to exploit.

Dodging yet another slimy living club, he jumped over and held his saber below him, slicing through as he flew through the air. Unfortunately he miscalculated and landed on the edge of the now dead part, sliding off from the thick mucous like substance that covered the entire dripping length of it. Disgusted he wiped his now soaked hands along a wall but not before getting an idea.

The next tentacle reared back its massive bulk in preparation for smashing him, but instead of slicing it apart he projected his rage through lighting, channeling the destructive power up and down the shafts length.

Immediately the earth around him began shaking in response, the liquid coated limb transferring all that electricity back to the main body far below. While not coming even close to killing the vast beast, it did however wound it to send it fleeing for the moment.

No longer impeded, he set his sites on finishing this pathetic duel and he charged at the former Jedi, the red mist starting to again form at the edge of his vision.

He hope this was finished quickly, his arm was starting to hurt again and he wasn't eager to find out what happened when he fought a Jedi Master single handily, literally.

Shaak Ti knew she was in trouble. Her mental connection with the Ancient Maw had been severed, the ancient hive mind in too much pain to offer any more assistance. The only thing she could do was continue the fight and hope to outfight the Sith. She didn't know if she was going to kill him yet, despite all the pain he had inflicted, the fact that he could very possibly be the child of two Jedi intrigued her, not to mention his immense Force potential would be a huge asset if he could be shown a way out of the dark.

_'Not that it would be easy, from how much this planet affects him he couldn't stay here and even if we did take him elsewhere there's no telling how he would react. I suspect he has been conditioned to obey his master, perhaps even tortured. No his loyalty is too strong.' _The battle had resumed, though once again without his rage the younger opponent was just holding his own, though he was pressing harder than he had been before and she had to work to keep up.

She was beginning to sweat with the continued effort of fending off Starkiller's attacks and trying to force air through what could possibly be a partially collapsed wind pipe taking their toll on her. It was a losing battle that she knew wouldn't last much longer and had better start considering an alternate course of action.

She had originally intended her last move to be directed towards Vader, but seeing as he had not graced her with his presence, she would have to make due with what was available. _'Coward._' It had taken years of painful and tedious meditation to create the process by which this technique could be accomplished.

It wasn't a conventional weapon that she designed. It was designed to push the entire essence of ones Force presence into another. In theory it would burn the targeted individual from the inside out, overloading their body with energy. It was brilliant because it didn't matter how different the skill levels between the two was, or how much more powerful the other person was in the Force, it would have the same effect.

At least she thought it would, never having actually tested it. The general mechanics were solid, people could die from over stimulation of the force, but without actual testing realistically anything could happen. Of course there was no way to test it as it was a one time use sort of technique.

To get herself some space, Shaak Ti ran up the length of one of the amputated tentacles. Not looking back she could feel her pursuer dog after her, once again lost in the throes of his private blood rage.

The former Jedi Master spun and ran backwards, picking up various chunks of debris and telekinetically launching them at the Sith in an attempt to slow him down. They headed towards him with breakneck speed, but were either pushed away, cut in half are merely shrugged off as he once again closed the distance and their blades met in a furious clash.

The Togrutan saw an opening and took it, thrusting mid height, hoping to skewer her opponent. Instead she merely inflicted a long shallow gash over his ribs as he leaped to the side; unfortunately the cauterizing effects of a lightsaber sealed the wound and prevented it from becoming life threatening. Once again the berserker merely ignored his wounds and continued to viciously assault her.

As always she was mindful of her surroundings and noticed that she was slowly being driven out of the village proper and towards where the cliffs met the town, old half collapsed buildings hanging precariously over the edge of the giant abyss.

_'Herded like an Akul pack herds it prey.' _She thought ironically, such a fate for one of her species, known for being incredibly evolved predators. However this time it was she who was the prey.

Starkiller had lost his mind again. Deep down he knew it was somewhere close by, but for the life of him he couldn't seem to reach it. He watched his actions as if watching a holonet drama, unable to change the events taking place but feeling as if he was in the middle of it none the less. _'Not like I will remember very much of this anyways, if the previous incidents have been indicative of any kind of truth.' _

The rational part of him who was still Starkiller and not that other _thing_, was telling him that he was winning this fight, that his opponent was slowly but surely failing under his brutal assault. He had the strength, the speed and the positioning to end this within the next couple of minutes.

Meanwhile he could hear himself growl in pleasure as he drove the Jedi before him like a shepard directing his flock to slaughter. The other part of him found the metaphor to be fitting and cackled at its current prisoner's inexorable thoughts.

Starkiller wondered again how such a change had come over him, he always kept himself calm and detached; a consummate professional warrior always. It wasn't his injuries, as he had been injured before to greater extent and not suffered through this kind of indignity.

Disinterestedly he watched as the Jedi was pushed within about 5 meters of the cliff edge and a particularly brutal strike disarmed her, slicing off two of her fingers and completely severing her lightsaber in half. A vicious Force pushed sent her landing on her back, protectively clutching her ruined hand to her chest.

Starkiller watched himself, stand where he was and watched her drag herself to the edge, his other licking his lips in sick anticipation. He himself didn't enjoy this, he had never been one to torment his targets pain. A clean quick kill was much more practical and much more humane. When he finally met his end, more than likely at the hands of his so called master, '_Vader!'_ he hoped that it would be that way for him too.

He snickered internally and felt the reflection of the amusement spread to his doppleganger in the form of a jackal like grin.

Shaak Ti's whole arm felt like it was one fire, the ruined nubs of fingers burning like a thousand suns. Thank the Force for the nature of lightsaber wounds, otherwise the damage would have been even worse.

_'Not that it would matter at this point anyways. But as was foreseen, this fate would come to pass. All the visions lead to this one ending. It all fits together in this, I always knew it would. A nice clean finish to this chapter.' _

She watched as her murder stood, staring at her with a leering grin on his handsome face and suddenly she felt a somewhat un-Jedi like surge of anger at his mocking stare. She may be at her end today, but dammit if she wasn't a Jedi and a Togrutan to boot. She would go out of this life as a warrior, not as a sniveling weakling, curled up on the ground placidly awaiting death. Plus her final solution called for close proximity to the target and she smiled grimly knowing that one way or another this Sith would cause no more innocents harm.

Slowly she rose to her feet, keeping her eyes locked with the insane assassin, who was still standing still in the same place with that insipid smirk still plastered on his face. His lightsaber was held down and too his side, almost as if for the moment,forgotten.

Standing at her full 1.75m, she undid the clasp, shrugged her shoulders back and let her robe fall down behind her. Her impressive physique now fully exposed; she reached up to her neck with her good hand and found her Akul teeth necklace there, proof of her deeds and honor within the circles of Shili and the other Togrutans.

With one quick motion she ripped the trophy from her neck and tossed it at her nemesis' toady's feet, a silent challenge. She bared her teeth and with a fierce battle cry, rushed back into her final battle, lekku flying wildly in the wind as she him head on.

His grin old stretched even farther.

"YES!" Starkiller moaned through clenched teeth as the Togrutan Jedi charged towards him, her once serene face now covered in sweat and tinged with violent desire. Tossing his lightsaber aside once again, its use here seemingly feeling like sacrilege, he burst into a sprint.

Their two bodies slammed into each other and Starkiller went down on his back, the nude goddess ending up straddling his chest, though there was nothing loving in the position as her one good fist and elbows slammed into his face and neck. It was ecstasy at its utmost, the feeling of her primal presence and fury was exhilarating to him. He pulled his hands into the guard position warding off her blows then snaking an arm to trap her's before pulling her torso to his chest in an intimate embrace that reduced the effectiveness of her blows to pitiful taps.

"Your blood will be mine!" he whispered seductively into her ear before placing his free hand on her slim waist and thrusting up with his torso, flipping them over to reverse their positions. Quickly shooting his feet out to break through her legs guards he lunged forward, trapping her arms and sliding his head powerfully forward, hitting her under the chin and slamming her head into the ground.

He relented just for a second, enjoying just how helpless she looked, before he reared back and planted a knee directly on top of her abdomen, at the same time crushing her injured hand underneath his grip. His reward was a moan of pain and he knew it was time to finish this. Pulling himself up to one knee he rolled her over to her back and planted his other knee on the back of her neck. He lowered himself down to one side of head and whispered hotly onto her lek.

"You will be mine and mine alone." With a single pull he gripped one of her lekku in one hand and pulled.

It was over, Shaak Ti knew she was dying and there was nothing she could do to change that. One of her head tails was a mangled mess, the blood rich, sensitive organ pumping blood out of her broken body at an alarming rate. She was feeling weaker and weaker every moment and knew she had to act fast to make her sacrifice worth the price of implementing it.

The former Jedi distanced herself from her surroundings, retreating deep into her physce away from all the pain and failing cognizance of her physical being. There, deeper inside herself than she had ever gone before, she was floating in a deep sea of bright blue ambient energy that was her life force. Compared to the previous hell of her recent existences the sense of weightless freedom was euphoric. Her it mattered not what happened on the outside and she had all the time in the world to prepare for what was too come.

The Force was never-ending potential and this vast ocean was merely her tiny contribution to that infinite expanse. Normally it would have been impossible to contain and quantify such a unfathomable amount of energy as the force of the whole, but since this here was that which existed within herself, she was able to begin to contain it and manipulate it to some extent.

After all it was a part of her? Or was she a part of it? No, they were one and the same, it existed inside her and she inside it. All at once her floating astral form disappeared, along with the blue energy field and she just was.

Satisfied with her control, extended a sliver of her senses out back into that hell and felt for her killer. There he was, hate filled, lost and confused, sad even. From the comfort of her new reality their battle felt so petty and she couldn't help but feel sorry for the little lost boy and his stolen hope. But it was far too late to turn back now and as she felt their minds begin to connect and flow together she expressed one last thought in her corporeal state.

_'I'm sorry.' _But to whom?

Victorious at last, a blood soaked and bruised Starkiller lay exhausted on top of his most recent conquest. It had been moments ago that he had struck his final mortal blow to the Jedi and already the rage was starting to fade. Worse in its wake it left nothing else behind other than a stark feeling of emptiness.

Despite the close proximity, he was pointedly looking anywhere but the ruined form that lay underneath him, truthfully if he wasn't so exhausted he would have put as much distance between the travesty and himself. He felt like drek, inside and out from the last few minutes and it didn't help that his arm had resumed aching.

Somewhere along the line the painkillers had worn off and his arm beat a tattoo of pain with every heartbeat. Good thing he still had a spare left. It should last him until at least he got back to the ship, from there he would have too...

A faint stirring from beneath him startled him enough so that he actually fell of his quarry. By the Force, she was still alive? His guilt came back in spades and he did the only thing he could in this situation. He reached down and gently slid his arm underneath her neck, preparing to cleanly snap it and end her torment. But as he reached down to end it, her mouth quivered and he heard a whisper, as quiet as the midsummers breeze flew from her lips. He bent down, hoping to hear what she had given him and he felt her warm breath in his ear.

"I'm sorry." Impossibly strong hands gripped the sides of his head and brought their foreheads together. Then there was a massive surge of energy that swept past his mental defenses as if they were child's playthings and then...nothing.

A/N: So yeah, blood has been spilled and Starkiller has been rendered, well unconscious or something. Why? How? I dunno. Just kidding, yeah I do know and I'm not telling.

So yeah, that was actually pretty violent, should I upgrade it to an M rating? Food for thought.

Genobeast: Yah he is pretty awesome isn't he? And the lack of character development that usually results from using video characters is actually a boon because I have a blank slate to start from. Not that canon Galen is bad but we can have some more fun with him.

Wingofpain – Umm, yeah. Well at she didn't die for nothing and her actions will have a major impact on the rest of the story. Yes the IG-88/Galen pairing was a joke, I think I would be struck down by everything that's holy if I wrote that sacrilege into existence.

Did I explain the rage thing well enough? I actually based it off Maris' corruption in TFU2 where it is said that the planet itself was the thing that corrupted her. As you can tell I am taking some liberties with the galaxy at large.

Um, yeah as far as Shaak Ti goes, did I write her OOC? I mean for a Jedi Master that is, though I figured faced with her imminent death she would revert back to her Togrutan roots, I mean from what I'm read they're a rather violent and conflict oriented species.

Anyways until next time, when we hear from the girls and things get crazier. Yeah again.

Da Khodai Pa man!

PurMem


	6. Imperial Blunder

**Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction. **

**Whats up ya'll! (I love the dirty looks I get whenever I try and say that up north.) Well her we go again with another, hurmph, exciting installment of-**

**Dissecting the Dark**

**VI **

Ahsoka ran with a speed born of fear and necessity. As she loped gracefully towards the abandoned town deep within the Ancient Maw's gullet, she tentatively reached out with the Force and attempted to feel for her masters presence. However at the moment she could feel nothing amidst the churning background noise that was Felucia. She slid to a stop just outside the the ruins, painfully aware that while her master was hidden from her, that wretched aura that had been the cause of all of this was still present. Though it seemed to have taken on an enhanced tone, the level anger making her feel physically sick from the exposure. It still gave off the impression of her former Master though and her heart beat noticeably faster at the mere thought of finally coming face to face with him. It wasn't a pleasurable thought and she was at loss as to watch she could actually _do._

"It could be nothing. You know how everything gets churned up this close to the Maw. Master could just be hiding her presence to avoid detection."A warm hand swathed in the folds of a darkened cloak, gripped comfortingly at her shoulder. Maris Brood had sensed her friends subtle trepidation, though she couldn't really give reason for it. "For all we know, Master isn't even anywhere near here."

"No, she's here." the orange skin girl responded sadly. "This is where she always told us to go if we were ever discovered." _'If the Empire ever discovered us. If he ever came back for us.'_ Ahsoka began to walk forward again, but paused at the section of path where the rock hard hide of the sarlaac met with the cobblestone road, hesitant to enter.

"It's weird, isn't it. We always knew it was only a matter of time until they found us, but truthfully I never really thought about it you know? I never really thought that I'd have to face him again." She spoke to nobody in particular and Maris just kept quiet.

She didn't really know what to say, as much as she wanted to remain optimistic, it just wasn't in her nature to be the cheery one. Ahsoka had always filled that role well enough. Not to mention she didn't know who this mysterious him, Ahsoka kept referencing to.

The intense pressure of a sudden powerful spike in Force energy nearby caught both of them unprepared and Maris jumped a little bit at the short but extremely intense burst of pressure passed by like an expanding shock wave. It had undoubtedly came from Master Ti.

"Master!" Ahsoka ran in the direction that the wave had emanated from, "Come on Maris!" she called back to her companion. Maris muttered something about rushing in, but Ahsoka was already swiftly making her way through the village and utilizing the enhancing properties of the force, was making good time of it. Maris followed reluctantly, as per usual, but expressed her doubt concerning their current plan.

"Ahsoka, maybe we should slow down, we don't know what happened. We could," Maris bit her lip, "We could be walking into a trap." Something as abnormal as that power surge was more than likely not to be good in any case.

"We're not walking, we're running." Ahsoka quipped and Maris could imagine a mischievous grin on the other girl's face. Though in reality Ahsoka couldn't feel anything less like smiling right now. Her cheery, giggling front was just that, a front and it was dangerously close to falling. Really the only thing that kept it up right now was Maris, she couldn't bear to let her friend down. Truthfully she hadn't really felt very cheerful since before the Purge, before the only person in the world she truly trusted betrayed her in every way imaginable.

Sure Maris had been betrayed by the same man with her master killed and her left all alone floating in the dark, but it could never compare to what she had been through. The loss of all her precious people in one fateful day was enough to drive her to the brink and if it hadn't been for Master Ti she would not have made it, even if she had somehow survived Anakin's murderous rage. As it was she had been a useless pile of frayed nerves for months after her and the other Togrutan woman left Coruscant.

She owed Master Ti her life for when she couldn't save herself and she would do anything to repay her for that. At first, when the memories of the murders of her friends and peers was still fresh and the dark void in her heart from where her first Master had torn it out, she had given up on living. Resigned to believe that she had been destined to die that day. After all it was all her fault, she should of seen the signs of her former Masters distress and reported them to the council, since obviously she couldn't reconcile or defeat him.

Time to think on that later, right now she had an enemy to defeat and a Master to find. The despicable aura was off to her right so Ahsoka cut into an alleyway, gazing in awe at the level of destruction around her.

"It looks like a war zone!" she exclaimed, noticing the severed tentacles and collapsed buildings that lined the square. But she didn't have time to admire the carnage, the evil presence had weakened considerably and she didn't want to risk losing it.

They reached the edge of the derelict village and headed towards the bluffs. At the same time they both caught site of the crumpled figures that lay near the edge of the sarlaac's gums. The same thought struck both of them like lightning.

_'Master!'_ The two Jedi raced towards the supine figures, all caution thrown to the wind as they sprinted to their objective. As they came closer though, their sprint turned into a job, then to a shuffle and finally to a walk. Stopping just a few feet in front of the corpses, they sat in silence for a few moments. They were just to stunned to say anything.

"M-m-master!" Ahsoka stuttered, dropping to her knees and clutching the limp body of her Master to her. Maris stood a few feet behind, her hood down in the shadow of the great beast's lips and her reddish yellow eyes moist with sadness. Ahsoka didn't notice though with her head buried in Master Ti's cooling neck, sobbing like a youngling.

_'We were too late.' _Maris stared at Ahsoka as she cradled their master's broken corpse. It was obvious that she was dead, the mutilated state of her body was evident enough. _'What kind of monster could do this to someone?'_ she idly wondered, though the answer was obvious. A Sith.

Her eyes wandered to the second body that lay not a quarter of a meter away from their master and she felt a surge of anger, finally seeing the cause of all their troubles.

His head was turned away from them so she couldn't see his face but she could just feel the evil intention just radiating off him in waves. He wore a sinister, if tattered, set of loose baggy clothing and heavy boots complete with a billowing dark brown cape that currently lay underneath his still form. Various pouches lay scattered on his belt and chest harness. Heavy armored gauntlets covered his hands and wrists, various bits of electrical paneling interfaced into his bracers.

Morbidly curious, she stepped around the grieving Togrutan and crouched down next to his body. She noted his lightsaber that had apparently been thrown to the side when he fell. _'Interesting.'_ she filed the bit of information away and reached down to straighten his head so she could have a look at him. His skin was warm to the touch and-

_'Wait WARM!'_ Quicker than she could think, her hand was captured in an iron grip and as she looked down, her surprised red eyes meeting glazed and confused looking brown. While she probably should have been more wary of attack, instead she felt herself lost in those sad windows and the first thing she thought was. _'He's so young.'_ Indeed he was, in fact he looked even younger than her!

"Maris..." his faint whisper caught her unawares and she jumped at the sudden sound. But before she could ask for clarification or before he could perhaps speak again she was roughly shoved away.

"You frakking bastard! I'll kill you!" Ahsoka screamed while attempting to strangle the life out her teacher's murderer. Though as attempting would not be the correct word; the young man batted weakly ineffectually against her arms. The only reason the enraged Togrutan hadn't crushed his throat yet was the thick scarf that was still wrapped around his neck. However that didn't seem to do him much good as slowly his face turned slowly red and his gasps for air became painfully burdened.

Ahsoka's was contorted in rage as she directed all her fury, grief and feelings of helplessness into ending that which squirmed under her. Maris could sympathize with her friend but she knew that she had to be stopped. This is not what their Master would of wanted, killing an injured enemy in cold blood. Plus the other reason. _'How the hell did he know my name.'_

"Ahsoka." She said firmly but gently, coming up behind her friend and wrapping her arms arms around Ahsoka's shaking own and pulling her gently away. At first Ahsoka resisted, but eventually she broke down and released her grip. They sat there for a few moments, locked in a tight embrace. Maris held it just long enough until she felt the other woman relax, only then did she let go.

"It's not even him!" Ahsoka desperately moaned, though what she was complaining about Maris had no idea. "She died for nothing Maris! For nothing!" Maris had known Ahsoka long enough to know where this train of thought was going and she decided to head it off before she could start down that path again.

"It's not your fault Ahsoka, if you had been here you could have been killed too. That's why Master Ti sent us away. She knew what could happen and she was willing to give her life to keep us safe." Though she was trying to keep her composure what she said next brought the tears to the tip of her eyes. "She loved us like we were her daughters! So we have to stay strong and keep doing what we were taught, otherwise it will be for nothing." her voice was full of emotion and she was pulled by the sudden urge to hug her friend again and tell her it was all right, more for her own reassurance. The display of emotion would have to wait as she picked up the vaguest hints of danger coming through the force. Ahsoka noticed too and together they stood and looked to the faint light of the sky the dark outlines of landing craft approaching.

TK-664, or Hutch as he was known by his peers, peered out the port side view port down at the smoldering clearing below and scowled.

"Blaster marks." the trooper sitting across from him pointed downward. "Looks pretty nasty down there Sargent." Hutch choose to ignore the comments and turned back around and plopped wearily in his seat and began to perform final pre-combat checks on his armor and E-11 blaster rifle. The rest of his squad were crammed into the dimmed interior of the atmospheric landing craft and performed similar tasks on their own equipment.

Satisfied that his equipment was in working order, he settled back into the uncomfortable metal bench and closed his eyes. The small craft had run into a bit of turbulence, but that didn't phase him in the slightest. He was a 23 year veteran in making war and although this rusting bucket of bolts was a far cry from the LAAT/i that he once rode, his flinching days were far behind him.

Not that he would have shown fear back then either, he just wasn't built for that kind of emotional display. Cloned from the purest genetic stock, his progenitors nerves were nearly impeccable a handy trait to possess when you were really little more than cannon fodder to drown the enemy in.

Although the brutal clone genocide of the Clone Wars was over, now his kind was being relegated to an even more magnanimous fate. The Empire had long ago decided that the production of clones was no longer considered a priority, the ranks of the Stormtrooper Corps being easily filled with ready bodied men from Empire space. Relics like Hutch were forced to live out the rest of their shortened lives fighting for an organization that had long given up on them.

He and his brothers were slowly dying off and being replaced by these "new guys", worthless louts that couldn't hold a light to a clone in daylight. Even worse, as they were being replaced the original material, brothers created before the fateful battle of Kamino, the clones were relegated to fluff postings. Such as his current command at the tiny Imperial garrison in the capital city.

"Sargent, we have reached the coordinates provided to us by MI, we will begin insertion shortly." The sardonic tone of the pilot jostled him from his reminiscent musing and he opened a private comm channel to his squad.

"Flyboys say we've arrived on station. We will be providing support by fire to first and second squad as they move to cordon off the objective. Stalks, you and Wilco get set in while the rest of us provide over-watch of your position." The aforementioned trooper motioned with his heavy repeater confidently. Hutch turned his blackened visor over to regard each of his eight man squad in turn.

Not finding any obvious major deficiencies he grabbed his trusty E-11 and swung himself to his feet. "Move out." he barked; then with a jolt the the back door to the lander opened with a shuddering creak and the will of the Emperor stormed outside.

Ahsoka parried the first crimson lance as the now revealed Imperial shock troops streamed out from the ruined village and formed a general line of assault. Stormtroopers, there trademark white armor shining dully in the shadows of the great beast let forth a deluge of fire, ranging from heavy repeaters to blaster rifles as they advanced at a light jog towards the two cornered Jedi. Their chosen tactic of choice seemed to be simply overwhelm the two force sensitives with pure numbers..

"Where did the bucket-heads come from?" she questioned, deflecting an incoming baster bolt and sending it flying back into an incoming trooper which blasted the unlucky soldier off his feet. Knowing that they would be torn to shreds in long distance firefight, the two ran quickly towards the approaching enemy wave. As they ran they flipped, dodged and gracefully parried their way through the veritable tsunami of incoming fire.

Blood pumping the two warriors reached the leading edge of the Imperial battle line and proceeded to bloodily tear it too pieces. Troopers rushed in a fury to surround and destroy the two Jedi, but they made little progress against the duos relentless assault. Maris lopped off a outstretched hand, blaster still clutched in its grasp, then turned and back handed another trooper, sending him hurtling into a few of his fellows. To her left and front, a few of the Imps had tried to box in her Togrutan friend but found that next to impossible, the lithe predators duel lightsabers a blur of motion and violence.

Ahsoka grinned triumphantly as she struck down yet another of the white clad weaklings. This battle would soon be over if the fare offered so far was what this fight would consist of.

"Sargent, our men are being slaughtered out there, the enemy are Jedi! We need heavy armor support!" The panicked voice of first platoon's Lieutenant came over the comm-link and Hutch suppressed the feeling of embarrassment and anger at the loss of composure the other platoons leader was expressing.

"A _vode_ would never bend to fear like that, a _vode_ would fight to the death before giving up." he muttered, using the Mandalorian word for brother to describe his feeling of disappointment in the "new guys". However he could predict what would come next and wasn't let down when the whiny voice of his own immediate supervisor came over the net.

"Sergeant you will take your men and advance alongside the heavy support as they move in on the target." The overweight Correlian pomp mewled. Over the last few months Hutch had noticed that the man took a certain amount of pleasure in ordering him about and while to his ire the bastard wasn't actually that bad of a tactical thinker, his nasally voice, soft body and ostentatious airs gave the old soldier an instant headache whenever he was around.

"Yes sir." Hutch gave his acknowledgment of the order and swiftly relayed it to his subordinates, rookies and veterans alike moving into a loose delta formation around the platoons heavy armor component, heavy repeater wielding soldiers at the edge of the formation to provide for a greater spread of fire. With a uttered word from the AT-ST's commander the combined arms formation moved forward towards the front lines.

Jedi or no, Hutch wasn't about to let the honor of his origins end on some backwater world at the hands of some rouge bantha fodder eating left overs. Grimly he squared his shoulders and gripped his rifle grimly and began to advance.

The arrival of the walkers was heralded by a stream of heavy green turbo cannon fire that caught the two Jedi almost completely off guard. A slight hinting of danger through the force was all she received as they attempted to lift their blades in defense, in vain because the large mass behind the plasma bolt sent them flying back a good dozen feet. Recovering quickly Ahsoka and Maris stumbled back to their feet, both covered in minor burns and bruises from the rough tossing they had been subjected too. However this new attack was far from the worst of the new assault as heavy repeater bolts and red blaster marks began to hone in on them, the heavier weapons being slowly walked in to their intended targets, a sure sign of an experienced gunner.

Pressed hard and pushed back on the defensive the two switched their lightsaber forms to the familiar form III or Soresu style, blocking the majority of rounds as that were sent flying towards them. However from the sheer amount of firepower that was being unleashed not to mention the deadly ministrations of the incoming heavy turbolaser. It was only a matter of time before something got through. The first bolt slashed into Ahsoka's thigh, burning through the skin and bubbling the muscle below. She took it with a growl and clenched her teeth together, fighting through the pain and managing to block the next few shots, before the rate of fire increased yet again as the remainder of the troopers they had been hacking to pieces began to reform into a somewhat organized firing line. Three more glancing hits and one round to the gut and she was laying on her back, put almost immediately into shock.

Maris yelled out in concern for her fallen friend and moved in front of her, guarding her and keeping the probing shots away from her. She was holding her own, just barely and she could only hold out for a little while longer.

Starkiller felt the world come back into focus, his last conscious memories being of attacking the rouge Togruta; after that it was all just a blur.

_'Just like right now.' _he vocalized internally, the world seemed as if it was being viewed through the jeweled facets of a power crystal, distorted and jaded beyond recognition. Maybe he was still suffering the aftereffects of falling down that cliff. His body certainly felt like he had fallen down a long ways and hit rock bottom. Or at least it should feel broken.

_ 'What the frak is going on ?'_ he was panicked now the strange sensations making his head spin just trying to comprehend what was going on. Or rather the lack of strange sensations or anything in particular.

He saw rather than felt himself rise off the ground where he had been lying, gripping his lightsaber in an unfamiliar grip, take a strange stance and leap to defend some people who he didn't recognize. Using the force, the two females, one unconscious and the other trying desperately to fend off the incoming fire. He levitated them behind a nearby boulder, one hand effortlessly blocking the incoming las bolts and the other sending out powerful force pushes that shattered armor and bones alike then sent the corpses flying this way and that.

The roar of the walker's turbo-laser distantly reached his ear as if he was hearing it from a long distance away but his out of control body gracefully dodged the searing hot lance of death. A gigantic piece of masonry was ripped from one of the village's crumbled buildings and was plowed into the side of the gray painted war machine.

Hitting with a resounding metal clang the bird like walker tilted, swayed and then fell, landing onto of it's concussion missile launcher. Rushing forward with sickening speed the lightsaber sliced through the thinner top plating of the overturned vehicle. A thermal detonator was tossed through the gap and a muffled whump signaled the demise of the vehicles crew.

The enemy dismounts were the next victims of his orchestrated assault, his blade sweeping through styles he had never learned and kata's that he had never practiced. His crimson weapon cut through the plastoid armor with ease, yet regret and he noticed idly that he had yet to use any sort of his darker abilities. Enemies were dispatched rather than destroyed, cool methodical and precise that lacked the power and leashed emotion that he usually possessed.

It was almost as if someone else had taken over, which was a terrifying thought to behold. Though he quickly squashed the notion that he had finally snapped Starkiller was concerned that he couldn't understand what was happening.

Tentatively he reached out with the Force, reassured that he could still connect even in his current removed state. Delving deep into a state of introspection he examined the barriers that would usually be protecting the perimeter of his mind. Shocked he found that they had been shattered recently, slowly healing but showing obvious signs of recent penetrating trauma. Something had managed to get in and he didn't know what they or it was, or what their purpose for doing this was.

Withdrawing back into his mind he let his perception drift outward for a second, his hijacker cleanly beheading another trooper, this one sporting the golden pauldron rank of an NCO, before turning to cut a hastily branded heavy repeater in half and spinning on their heel to impale another soldier sneaking up behind.

Turning his concentration back to introspection he attempted to access the slick barrier that separated his observer section from whatever was currently operating his finer motor skills. Tentatively he probed the curtain and was surprised to find it offered very little in the way of resistance. It was almost permeable and he let the fringe of himself to slowly meld with the leading edge.

Maris' arm seemed to be broken and she tested the already bruising limb with shaking finger. With a hiss she confirmed her theory and tried to take her mind off the pain and instead checked on Ahsoka's injuries. While her injuries were serious they were mostly flesh wounds, with the exception of the abdominal wound. However due to the nature of blaster injuries the wound was cauterized and had little chance of bleeding.

"Stay strong Ahsoka. It'll be all right." if her friend heard her she didn't respond but she wasn't particularly worried at this point, he pulse was still strong and steady and her complexion was good. She would have to get her some sort of medical care soon though otherwise that would change.

A rustling sound alerted her to someones approach and she grabbed Ahsoka's light dagger from her belt and whirled to face this new threat.

The Sith that had murdered her Master stood a few meters away amidst a literal mound of bodies and broken equipment his tan and black uniform stained mud, blood and other unidentified fluids. All in all it was a rather menacing sight. When he had been lying down she hadn't realized just how tall he was. His blood red blade still cracked and bubbled as the blood that was coating the hilt and blade slowly turned to vapor.

"Come no closer Sith, I'll-I'm not afraid to kill you!" she managed to stammer out. Inside though she was scared stiff as a Mandolorian's upper lip. This man had managed to kill her Master, once a member of the Jedi Council's inner sanctum and slaughtered a whole platoon plus of Imperial soldiers plus their nefarious machines in record time.

Apparently he did not fear her, as he disengaged his weapon and began to calmly move forwards. His face was a mask of stony detachment. Maris knew at her best she probably didn't have very much of a chance in defeating him, but with her injuries... _'Not gonna happen.'_

Now if Ahsoka was still combat ready they might have had a chance, after all she had been able to match their Master when dueling and sometimes on a good day even win. But in her current state it just wasn't going to happen either way.

He was only meters away now and she rallied her resolve again. "Don't move! I mean it! I will," she never finished her thought, he had overtaken her and was standing less than arms length away. His natural dark Aura threatened to overpower her and she wobbled under the pure killing intent that this man, no, thing exuded.

"Be at rest child, no harm will come to you while I'm here." he spoke in a calm collected voice that was at complete odds with his wild demeanor. A rough heavy hand was placed on her shoulder but she was too stunned by his unexpected change that she didn't even notice.

Though it was his voice that came out it wasn't him, she could tell this wasn't the Sith speaking. How had he known her name before the attack? Why did he save them? It didn't make any sense for someone who just a half hour ago had brutally murdered her master. Though that speech pattern did seem oddly familiar...

"Master?" it was a crazy guess, but she couldn't come up with anything else that made sense. As crazy as it sounds it would seem that somehow her Master had switched bodies or something.

The Sith smiled, a weird thing to see and replied. "Yes Maris you are right. Remember in the clearing when I told you that sometimes you can't predict the future until one has already lived it. It seems the Force has decreed that I live past this day, though not as I would of sensed it."

"That's not possible, Master you were dead, I can still see your body!" it was true, she could still see it over near the edge of the pit.

"I had planned on becoming one with the force young one, though I will not lie and say I ever envisioned this. I had intended to end Vader with this, all my plans... nothing is as it should be. I..." suddenly her/his body convulsed, shaking with random spasms and their face contorted with pain.

Ignoring her still lingering doubts about some sort of elaborate Sith plot, she steadied her Master's borrowed body and attempted to keep her from falling over.

Starkiller raged as he finally identified the invading force. It was that invading Jedi, somehow she had managed to ghost past his nigh impenetrable defenses and take over his body. Who knew what kind of havoc she was inflicting on the outside world.

Under the barrier in his mind their two essences flowed and mixed, the two sides ebbing as they fought to cast the other out. He had the home field advantage as it was and he was strong willed to boot. Slowly but surely he began to push the Jedi's influence back past the barrier he had recently breached. Soon he would have control again and there would be hell to pay.

"You must leave!" Shaak Ti managed to stutter out between clenched teeth as she leaned heavily into the borrowed shoulder that her student was offering her. "Now!"

"What is it Master, why?" Maris questioned timidly, already confused but even more so now.

"Take Ahsoka and go! I don't know how much longer I can hold him back. He is stronger than I thought!"

She tried to voice a protest but her Master pushed her away and cried out, "Go NOW!" her face contorted in a painful grimace as she lost control.

Not waiting to find out what would come of this Maris leap into action and ran to pick up Ahsoka. She only got a few steps away before she was yanked brutally back by her hair.

"Where do you think you're going Jedi?" a voice, barely above a whisper called about as she was spun around to face him. Cold brown eyes burrowed into her head and she could only gasp like a Corellian grass snake stuck in the desert. She didn't even notice when Ahsoka's still limp form dropped to the ground with a thud. "We have much to do, you and I."

His tone left no doubt what that would entail.

Hutch coughed into his helmet, the expelled blood pooling with the rest of it that had already begun to gather at the joint between his bucket and his neck guard. He could still feel his left arm, though in truth it was laying about 20m to his left between a ruined statue and an ancient feed trough, thing.

This whole mission had been a pile of fierfiek poo-doo if someone was to ask him. Jedi were one thing but that bastard that had massacred his men had been something else entirety. He hadn't seem something like that since the fighting under General Plo Koon in the Clone Wars.

Whoever had ordered this had was a dikrut idiot for sure, his sordid garrison troops no match for that devil in the ragged robe. MI had royally screwed the wookie on this one and it was currently ripping out throats left and right.

He didn't want to die this way, not how he had pictured it after all. A _vode _shouldn't die like this. Well then he would have to make Mandalore proud, just one last clone dieing unwanted in the service of their second hand masters.

Determined he gripped a satchel of explosives off a nearby corpse. This would end with him in control.

Maris was going to die and she knew it, as she flew across the air in slow motion she felt her rather short and ulimately unfair life flash before her eyes. Kidnapped into forced servitude by the Jedi order, her first and second Masters murdered and now this. Well at least she wouldn't die like this in front of Ahoska. If she could see her now she would probably say something like "get off your back you lazy pin-head!"

Crimson blade was reignited and the Sith slowly began to walk. Starkiller knew he should end this soon, his mission was complete and the sooner he was off this stang hole the better. He would terminate this girl and then finish off the dying one. Sith spawn he was tired.

A flash of white and a bedraggled helmet-less looking stormtrooper crashed into the approaching Sith with a wordless battle roar. A flash of bright light, a powerful explosion and shock wave later and Maris opened her eyes to find the Sith gone along with a sizable portion of the plateau.

Still dazed the Zabrak maiden moved to her friend and began to pull her up on her back. It was long past time to leave this cursed place and all its demons behind.

A/N Oooh cliff hanger! Damn I hate those. And I bet you all expected that the Jedi and Starkiller would be all lovey dovey so soon ay? Well that wouldn't happen in real life so it won't happen here. I hate that in a lot of fanfiction people are brought together to forward the story not the other way around. So it'll be a while until a pairing happens we have a lot of story to go. Besides Galens got a hell of a lot more brooding to do before he'll get a break.

As for the mind swap thing, weird yeah I know but the forcefull loss of control won't happen again in the forseeable future and it will be less of a possession as it will be a haunting.

Sorry about the slow down in the lack of updates, back to work and we're starting our training cycle again and I've been busy busy busy.


	7. Broken Dreams

**Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (Lucas Arts). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction. **

**I know it's been awhile since I updated this story last but here's another tasty morsel of...**

**Dissecting the Dark**

**VII**

"Whooooosh-ka, Whooooosh-ka, beep. Whooooooosh-ka, whooooosh-ka beep." The steady rhythm of a nearby mechanical apparatus brought Starkiller back to life in a startled moment. He attempted to move but found that he couldn't, his arms restrained by some sort of strap, one that was strong enough to resist even his wild efforts to free himself.

Seeing that he could currently not escape he forced himself to breathe deeply, successfully calming himself and concentrated on figuring out his current location. His deep breaths came out ragged and painfully constrained due to what appeared to be an end-tracheal tube leading from his mouth to a large machine mounted on the wall. He could feel the flow of air being forced down into his lower chest in time with the noises of the machine.

Apparently it was keeping him alive.

_'At least it wasn't him.' _He thought grimly, just the thought of regaining consciousness to find his menacing master hovering over him like a Hutt observing his next meal made him uneasy. He didn't know how he would react, not that he could really do much than gurgle at any would be assassin. At least he could feel the Force, though when he tried to reach out for it, it slipped to his fingers. His mind felt addled as if he had been drugged.

"Well R1-23 it appears master is _finally _awake." He could now make out a distinctly Proxxy like shape standing in the doorway to what he now assumed was a medical bay of some sort. The droids eyes flashed a malicious yellow. "I was afraid he was going to die and I would fail my secondary mission and not be able to kill him."

The astro-mech droid warbled something, hidden from his sight by wall.

"What is my primary mission you ask? To protect and raise Master Starkiller." A few more beeps finished by an dubious sounding screech. "Yes, I suppose those two directives _are _in conflict. That's something I never thought of, but it hardly matters. I find them both so much fun it would be a shame to give either up."

"Proxy, shut up. Where am I?" he said, or meant to say; the tube shoved down his mouth made it come out sounding more like "Prrrah, ut u. Wur m eh?"

Fortunately Proxy started out as a protocol droid, albeit a sadistic and violent one, so he was fluent in over five million different dialects and languages. Including speaking while ones mouth was full.

"Oh Master I am so glad you asked, we are currently on the Planet Ansion, in the middle core, currently in the city Kol, in a independently run medical clinic on Barrassa Street,building C, Room 23. Here let me remove your breathing tube for you."

The strange feeling of something being slowly removed from his throat was uncomfortable and Proxxy's cold hands were not gentle.

Starkiller scrunched his eyes in confusion as he toned out the rambling robot. He had never heard of a planet called Ansion. "What happened, why are we here?" he questioned quietly, his jaw feeling numb and unfamiliar. He wished he could run his hands over his face. There was a bothersome itching sensation right behind his jawline that was starting to annoy him.

"Well er, you see master... I-you were very badly injured in that nasty little explosion and we, er-"

"I brought you here Sith." Someone else had entered the room while he had had his attention on Proxy. It was not someone he ever expected to see again.

"Jedi!" he hissed around the tube, thrashing against his restraints. His most recent and last he had known dead, target stood before him as plain as day. "I killed you."

Shaak Ti smiled, her pointed teeth giving her a most feral look. Motioning him to be silent with a raised finger to her lips nonetheless his outburst had not gone unnoticed.

"Master, I nor R1-23 are Jedi and unless there some kind of malfunction with my ocular sensors there is no one else present in this room. Neither are we dead." Proxxy's inflection gave the impression that he was genuinely confused, R1-23 noted his agreement.

"They can't see me as I am Sith, I've ascertained you're the only one able too." her voice was calm and he could not detect any signs of deceit. Confused, but willing to accept it for now, Starkiller struggled to nod his understanding.

"Proxy, repeat what you said happened."

"Were you not listening Master? R1-23 detected that your distress beacon had been activated and we moved to its location and recovered you from the planets surface." The droid paused and Starkiller grunted in aggravation, so Proxxy caught the hint and continued. "Your...physical form was not in...satisfactory condition when we found you. Though my knowledge of human medical knowledge was and is limited I..." the astro-mech droid bleeped out something that sounded offensive. "Yes, we managed to figure out that you needed immediate medical assistance and since the database concluded that Ansion was the closest planet with the necessary extensive cybernetic reconstruction facilities without a significant Imperial presence, we made our way here. The ensuing hours were hardly what I would call easy, what with you bleeding all over the place and using up bacta left and right. I swear you organics with your liquids and greasy intestines, sometimes its enough to make an honest droid fry his circuits."

_'Tracting beacon? I don't remember activating it. Last thing I remember was those Jedi, a stormtrooper and an explosion.'_

"That because I activated it, after you lost consciousness I was able to take control of your body temporarily." the Togruta stated calmly, as if this kind of thing happened all the time.

However he didn't have time to ponder the implications of what the Jedi had said. "Proxxy, why could we not just go to a normal medical center, a bacta tank would have been a preferable method."

Proxxy's head swiveled back and forth. "There was significant, no major, tissue loss and traditional bacta treatment was not deemed potent enough."

Starkiller squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to take a deep breath. "Unbind me."

"Master I do not think that is a good idea. You organics have a tendency to overreact to major physical changes. Not to mention that your tissue will undoubtedly be weak from the extended period of time you have spent bedridden."

"Listen to the droid Sith, it is better to prepare yourself for this." Shaak Ti explained.

"Shut up." he muttered darkly "I will not repeat myself again Proxxy, let me go. Now." his tone let his friend know he was deathly serious.

Proxxy made a whooshing sound that sounded like a sigh. "As you wish Master." Starkiller felt cold metal hands working to release the bindings on his left arm and as soon as it was free he rushed to undo the one restraining his right. However he stopped cold when an he felt metal where his flesh should have been.

"No." he whispered as he raised the metallic looking limb up so he could see it. His neck still being tied down he couldn't see past his bicep, but what he saw said enough. Metal fingers curled into a fist as the artificial nerves relayed the signals from his brain to the digits. Idly he wondered that it was strange he could still feel, although it was completely different from the sensations coming from his left hand, like he was wearing a thick leather glove.

"Your right side absorbed most of the explosion, your were quite fortunate that the pressure did not simply rip your body apart." Proxxy sounded just a little too happy saying that. "And lucky you the doctors were even able to save the majority of your teeth, though they had to cut some corners and replace the majority of your spine and neck muscles. Actually it was quite the procedure, I never knew humans had so many pieces."

"Get out Proxxy." After a moment of hesitation the droid bowed and turned to leave, not before undoing the the final restraint holding down his neck.

"If you need me Master, I will be outside. Come on R1."

After the two had left Starkiller attempted to rise to a sitting position. Attempted being the key word. After a few tries he collapsed shaking back into his bed. Exhausted just by the very effort of moving his new right arm fumbled clumsily to reach the mirror on a nearby table. After a few failures he managed to grip the blasted thing and brought it up.

Proxxy had been right to say tissue damage was extensive.

All said and done the missing parts ran from his entire right arm, shoulder, neck and lower jaw. The inflamed flesh around were the prosthesis had been attached gave his skin a bright red hue, swollen and oozing from infection. Several intravenous lines pierced his skin in different places, no doubt delivering food, medicine and fluids into his broken body. Keeping him alive.

Curiously he lifted the thermal blanket that was covering his body, finding the expected catheter but also...

_'Oh stang.'_ The damage hadn't been limited to his torso, the blast had been much more powerful than he had expected.

Right leg gone from the thigh down, part of his pelvis missing and replaced by the same dark blackish metal.

"For what it is worth Sith, I am sorry." The Jedi who had remained silent up until now actually sounded sincere. "Though I am surprised you are so calm about this."

Starkiller pulled the sheet back up over himself covering the mangled mismatch of flesh and machine below. "I assume the large amounts of pain killers being pumped into me have something to do with that." he mumbled, apparently the automated machines had picked up the spike in his heart rate when he had seen his legs and was upping his dosage. Suddenly he felt sleepy.

"I saved you, you know, used the force to stop you from bleeding out." Shaak Ti said quietly. "Even I admit that I'm somewhat confused by my current situation." abruptly she gave a little giggle that seemed just wrong coming from someone like the former Jedi Master.

"I suppose I'm not the only one being affected right now." He said snidely, his eyes beginning to feel heavy with sleep. "So what are you doing here, I remember killing you, complete the mission."

"You did. Good job of it too, very painful." She gestured to her now restored montral and idly stroked the appendage, "Do you know how sensitive these things are?"

"I-I don't care about tha-." he mused but either she didn't hear or purposely ignored him.

"It would be like cutting off your, your," she gestured with her free hand beneath his bed sheet, "whatever humans have."

There was an awkward silence as the Secret Apprentice tried to come to terms to where this insane conversation had come, Shaak Ti continued to caress her montral.

Finally Starkiller asked the obvious "Are you haunting me?" it was a good question but at that point just sounded so simple that it came out sounding just wrong. It was a simple childish notion that he entertained, he didn't know where it had came from, perhaps some distant forgotten memory.

A frown came over the other person's face as she thought for a second. "I don't know, the Force projection I attempted was supposed to kill you with an energy overload. Instead it seams to have attached my astral presence to yours. I have attempted to leave this room, but it appears I am restricted to nearby."

"I hate you." he murmured and attempted to swipe at her with his flesh hand, however instead of connecting he passed right through her incorporeal form. Ghost indeed.

The drugs were continuing to dump into his veins at an alarming rate and soon he found himself unable to keep his eyes open any longer.

"Go, just go." his breathing slowed as he felt sleep take him. "away."

The last thing he perceived in his waking state was a yawning Jedi Master offer,

"You and me both."

Damn drugs.

* * *

He dreamed.

He dreamed of loving embraces, gentle caresses and a place he knew but had never been. His soul traveled amidst the huge ancient trees and played in their darkened shadows. The smell of pine and other forest scents filled him with knowledge of a more comforting time.

A man came to find him. He was strong, yet older. Wizened he would call it now but to his old self he was simply called "Daddy.".

"Galen, it's time to go home. It's getting late and we have to go."

The child known as Galen, merely nodded and stood from where he had been seated, dropping the wooden rancor he had been playing with to the ground. He had always been quiet he knew, it wouldn't seem right if he spoke like this.

As he stood he felt his legs begin to grow, his arms stretched and put on hard muscle. Baby fat melted away and he grew into clothes that he hadn't noticed as being too lose before.

Starkiller looked down at the robed Jedi in front of him, lightsaber suddenly clasped in hand, blade igniting a violent crimson red. A harsh voice issued from his metal jaw as his ruined and twisted body tensed.

"I don't want to go home."

Then he struck.

* * *

This time he managed to sit up, arching his back and crying out. Sweat oozed from his every pore and his heart beat a million times a minute. Remembering the monitoring machines reaction to his earlier stress he ripped out the connected lines, a slow ooze of coagulated blood leaking from every newly exposed hole.

"You need to calm down." His red skinned tormentor, a association that for some reason made him think of the red skinned demons fear in many primitive cultures, suggested "If you don't you're liable to hurt yourself."

"Shut up!" Galen screamed, clutching his head between his hands. Not stopping he threw himself off the bed and fell to the floor, catheter slipping out and spilling its vile contents all over the bed.

"Galen you must stop, this is not helping anyone, least of all you." The Togruta woman knelt down in front of him and brought herself face to face with the Sith. The alien's gentle black eyes looked at him with empathy and consideration.

"Get the frak out of my way!" He attempted to stand, just barely made it. Took a step, tripped over nothing and fell _through_ Shaak Ti. He lay sprawled out on the floor just now realizing he was naked, helpless and laying down Force knew where.

Shaak Ti walked around and sat down next to him, crossing her legs underneath her. "Galen you need to rest."

"My name is Starkiller." He said it with such fervor that she was taken aback by his anger.

"Very well, Starkiller," she hesitated after saying the name with some distaste, "still my point stands."

At this moment Proxxy showed up, this time without the annoying little astro-mech in tow.

"Good to see you up and about Master, though I disagree with your assumption that this is a good location for a nap."

"Frak you Proxxy, help me up."

"With pleasure." he felt slender mechanical limbs wrap around his shoulders and hoist him into a slouch/standing position. "I assume you wish to leave this little swamp ball at once?"

Just standing took a lot more out of him than he could of imagined so he could only give a weak "Yes."

Proxxy fixed him with his always unblinking stare for a moment before leading him down the hallway.

* * *

His metal friend chattered incessantly as they traveled from the medical clinic, passing through back alleys and avoiding all unnecessary contact with the local populace. Eventually they reached the spaceport and before long spotted the _Rouge Shadow_ sitting silent in the far docking bay.

It was strange, his artificial limbs felt so heavy, as he walked his leg dragged behind him, moving normally but slower than his organic one.

Proxxy seemed to pick up on his heated glares. "Don't worry Master, the doctor said that some sluggish behavior would be normal, at least until your organic nerves had a chance to fully connect with the cybernetic diodes. Interesting that, we had to remove even the damaged portions of your arm and leg, your old organic joints would have been simply to weak to support the weight of your new limbs. Fascinating, simply fascinating."

The pain had been slowly increasing, probably due to the cut off of his supplies of pain medication. As they reached the gantry to the ship, he was relieved to see that home was so close at hand.

Right now he felt like collapsing. Looking back he noted that Shaak Ti's apparition was still following, seeming to be looking at everything except for him. Great.

"It's been a bit more crowded Master, if I could just kill one of them it would sort out all sorts of problems."

Starkiller ignored the droid and once in the privacy of the _Shadow_ he dropped the flimsy hospital gown he had worn through the city. He had received a lot of stares for that but he honestly couldn't care less, just like he didn't care now. Proxxy had seen him in the buff thousands of times.

A chuckle from him reminded him he had an audience. Sith spit.

"Well I see they don't teach the Sith modesty either." Shaak Ti said it seriously but without looking back he could tell she was smirking in a pointedly righteous Jedi way.

"Hnh" he grunted not willing to give her the satisfaction of reacting to her not so subtle jibe. He still wasn't sure if he was going crazy or if this possession thing was the truth, but he didn't care. She was along for the ride, until he figured out how to rid himself of her.

He wondered briefly how he was going to accomplish this. Asking his master for assistance was out of the question, as was telling Proxxy. Sad that those were the only two he could turn to in a time like this, but he had no other contacts, not since Juno had died.

Knowing that he didn't need to bring that thought back to life right now he carefully stuffed it back down. He would have to deal with this eventually, it was making him weak.

_'No, that is probably the fifty plus kilos of metal strapped to my limbs, the dead Jedi ghost attached to my being or the remaining drugs and extreme pain I'm in." _

He tapped the activation rune next to the door leading to his personal quarters. It opened with a whoosh and he stepped inside.

Cold eyes squinted dangerously and he pushed Proxxy away, the anticipation of violence lending strength to his weakened limbs. Instantly the Force was there for him, it felt strange but different almost distant.

For the second time that day he found himself asking,

"What the frak are you doing here?"

Before force pushing the intruder hard into the far wall.

The familiar sound of a lightsaber igniting caught his attention, the green blade snapping to his neck in the fraction of an instant.

Her voice was sickly sweet and her blue eyes fluttered sarcastically.

"Don't you remember you bantha fodder eating Sith bastard, you invited us."

A/N Its been awhile, I've been busy lately with, er stuff. Anyways thanks for the reviews, as for the lemon probably won't be integrated into the story, maybe a one shot, probably posted offsite somewhere. Maybe mediaminer or aff (ugh hopefully not). Anyways tell me what cha think and check out my narutoxfalloutxdeathlands crossover. If you like apocalyptic stories its gonna be pretty good ( I hope.)

Buh bye

PM


	8. Reformation

**Disclaimer: This humble author takes no belief of ownership of the aforementioned copyrighted materials and characters presented in the following text. All preexisting characters, events, locations and background are property of their true owners (I guess Disney now...?). Further no proceeds will be made from the following work of fiction. **

**Dissecting the Dark**

**IIX**

Starkiller reacted to the searing heat of the of the blade with pure instinct. Dropping to one knee he launched a sweeping low kick that normally would of knocked nearly any enemy of their feet. However he had forgotten about his bodies recent changes. His kick ended with a dull thump instead of with the desired impact of metal on flesh as his recently over-weighted limb connected with the floor, throwing him off balance and toppling him over to the side in a rather shameful fashion.

None the less though he managed to turn his ungainly slip into a decent enough somersault putting some distance between himself and his would be attacker. Hurriedly rushing up into a ready stance he reached for his belt and his hands groped at nothingness.

In his haste he hadn't bothered to grab his lightsaber from where Proxxy had stashed it next to his bed, a mistake that he was severely regretting now. No time to lament however.

He noticed the Jedi he had pushed away picking herself up off the bulk head where she had been thrown, the Zabrak's face twisted in a snarl as she pounced. Galen threw himself to the side to avoid one backwards thrust that would of cleanly bisected his head, but as soon as he was clear he found himself frantically trying to avoid being impaled by the other Jedi's strike. Twisting to the right just in time, he closed the distance and punched the Togruta in the guts, producing a satisfying high pitched yelp as his opponent doubled over in pain.

Avoiding the still flailing attacks of the Zabrak, Galen attempted to point blank pump force lightening into the recovering Togruta, but produced only a few sputtering sparks instead.

'_Stang!' _He mentally cursed his current weakness, his body had obviously not yet recovered from his bed ridden ordeal. Already he was sweating profusely and his breaths came in ragged shallow gasps.

The booted force strengthened foot of the now furious Togruta female snapped him out of his revelry and sent him hurtling back through the still open doorway to his bed chamber. The bed met his ankles and he toppled over onto the hard sleeping surface.

The orange skinned woman yelled with incoherent fury, slashing the bed with her saber and sending shreds of burnt and melted foam flying everywhere. Her teeth were bared in a ferocious snarl as she pushed with the force sending him and an assortment of debris flying into the fall wall with a rather impressive show of force.

Black spots floated at the edge of his vision like a swarm of ever encroaching flies. Galen rolled over onto his belly the dull feeling of pain from his recent surgeries surging out from the adrenaline haze and hitting him like a run away speeder.

"Is he dead?" the voice sounded cautious and from where he was laying Galen couldn't tell who had spoken, but he guessed it was the Zabrak.

"He had damn well wish he was, crazy Sith idiot." This voice was nearer and obviously more assertive, confident and brash. Probably the Togruta, keeping within the lines of her races more known characteristics.

He shifted uncomfortably attempting to make as little noise as possible. A plan began to formulate in his mind and the hard lump laying under his chest would only make it easier.

There was a slight tingling sensation on the small of his back and heard a now familiar voice stemming from what seemed to be the back of his skull.

"Galen, please don't do this. Violence does not have to be the answer to all things regardless of what your "Master" has taught you." The disembodied voice of Shaak Ti was still unnerving to hear. For a second he pondered her offer.

_'Frak that.' _The retort was harsh and he felt it weird to purposely put intonation into his thoughts like he was vocally talking to another person. '_And it's Starkiller Jedi.'_

His contact with the pallet allowed him to feel a slight vibration as something heavy moved across its pliant surface. He turned his head to the side and coalesced his thoughts. His exposed eye met the bright blue eyes of the woman who had thrown him across the room. Dressed in a ill fitting tube top and tight leather bodysuit bottom, he was suddenly struck with embarrassment that he had been manhandled by this girl who looked more like a cantina dancer than a deadly combatant.

"Well look who's awake." She grinned and pointed her weapon down at him. "Nice try, I almos..."

Galen didn't care what she had almost done as he pushed up on the ruined mattress with as powerful as a force push that he could muster in his current condition. The bed flew, sending a surprised Togruta flying up into the compartment's ceiling.

He smirked as the girl let out a high pitched yelp as she completed her hasty ascent before falling back to the ground, thin mattress doing little to cushion her rump from the impact.

Acting quickly he sprung forward and looped his mechanical hand around the Jedi's neck and pulled her off the mattress and back to the corner. His back smacked against the bulkhead as he snaked his flesh arm down around her neck and locked it into the crook of his arm, grabbing the loose fabric of his tunic in order to secure his hold.

Her lightsaber had fallen somewhere unseen, deactivated for safety or otherwise he didn't know, but more importantly his own crimson blade was pushed deactivated into her side by his artificial hand.

His finger rested gently on the activation stud.

Briefly she struggled, attempting to pull forward, her strong abdominal muscles contracting as she tried to break free. Not wanting to lose his hostage so soon he squeezed his bicep, cutting off her blood and air. For added security he agilely hooked both his feet around her thighs. Effectively it kept her even tighter against him and subdued her struggling.

"Move and I will kill you." It was a promise just for her, whispered almost romantically into her ear. In response she growled and spat something in a tongue that was not familiar to him. However he could guess the meaning behind it.

While her physical body may of shown courage, he couldn't help but relish at the sickly feel of fear that had become to seep from her spiritual presence. It was slightly intoxicating knowing that he now held all the power over his enemy's life. It was like he could almost taste or smell it seeping out of her skin and he barely kept himself from bringing his nose closer to her tensing skin. Over to the right he could see Shaak Ti's force ghost sitting on the edge of his battered bed, her legs crossed and her head resting on entwined fists. Her glowing eyes looked concerned and admonishing all at once.

"Ahsoka!" The Zabrak ran forward, but lowered her tonfas when he ground the saber into the one called Ahsoka's side with his new super-human strength to which she moaned in pain.

He didn't have to say anything, the Zabrak obviously knew what he was implying and didn't want to put her friend at risk.

Starkiller smirked and nodded his head down towards the deck. The Zabrak hesitated for a second and but gently placed her weapons on the ground when he ground his weapon into his captives side.

"Maris-cough-don't!" Ahsoka managed to croak out and Galen relished in the darkening of her aura. He licked his lips at the anticipation of violence.

Snap, push, throw, he was almost certain he could end this in three moves, though some dark part of him suggested and relished in the idea of taking a little more time to eh play.

_'No better to do it quickly, less risk. Less pain.' _The more rational part of his mind argued and was immediately was rebutted by the seemingly bloodthirsty half.

"Back away." Now that for the first time had spoken loudly his voice sounded strangely distorted and he noticed that he was slightly slurring his words. Probably due to new prosthesis that had replaced the majority of his lower jaw.

Either way the Zabrak still understood his demands and backed away to the doorway and paused at the threshold.

His head bobbed, suddenly feeling heavy and his ear came to rest on the side of the Togruta's neck. Her heart beat abnormally fast for a human but for an alien, he really had no idea what constituted normal. Still though she reminded him of a caged bird panicking. Stuck all alone at the mercy of its owner's whims. His eyes began to droop. There was a slight burning sensation that seemed to emanate from just about everywhere on his body, as if he had a fever. Gradually he felt himself slipping away and he couldn't do anything about it. Time to rest in the meadows of an ancient memory.

Watch the birds cross the sky.

Pretty bird...

With a sudden realization he snapped his head back against the bulkhead. He was still weak from his wounds; this would have to happen now. Slightly loosening his grip so as to build some room for leverage he calculated the length and distance of the throw required. He readied himself for the strikes when the dam finally broke.

All the pain that he had been holding back, suppressing or otherwise avoiding came bursting out from his insides like a raging inferno of agony. All thoughts of action were forgotten as he fell limp his arms losing their strength and falling to his side. Vaguely he noticed his captive easily disentangling their legs and standing up. Not that it mattered, right now he was sure he was going to die, burst into flames as his body reached a critical peak. He might of screamed but he couldn't say, the pain too great to even pay any mind to the outside.

All of a sudden it felt as if someone had poured a hand full of ice water on his burning head as the same tingling sensation that he had felt before reappeared. Like the parched throat of a man who had just braved the ravishing winds of the desert being offered a glass of water his mind was suddenly overcome with humble appreciation.

"Child." Shaak Ti's elegant features regarded him from where she had seemingly materialized from out of thin air. "Rest your eyes, give up your pain."

Then nothing.

Ahsoka stared at the unconscious assassin as his head lolled loosely around the floor. The Togruta rubbed her neck and montrals where she had been strangled. Usually she hadn't a doubt that she would have been able to escape that hold but the Sith had been inhumanly strong. She remembered the feel of his firm biceps as they expanded like one of the blind snakes that hunted in the depths of the Coruscant under city and almost choked the life out of her.

Unlike humans, Togruta only had a single artery extending up from their heart into their brain that was protected between the hardened bone of the windpipe and spinal cord. That hadn't made the slightest difference however as the killer made it seem almost effortless.

Thin arms wrapped around her waist from behind as Maris embraced her from behind. "I thought he was going to kill you." the girl buried her head into Ahsoka's shoulder.

Ahsoka turned within the confines of the hug to face her friend. Teary yellow eyes pined up at her like a lost akk dog puppy. "I can't lose you like Master Ti, Ahsoka, I just couldn't deal with it." Her fingers began to move in little circles and began to move up and down seemingly on their own accord.

Ahsoka's face turned a lighter shade of pink. '_What? She, umm, no...' _ Feeling very uncomfortable with the sudden contact she gently put her hands and pushed the Zabrak woman's hands away.

"Maris, help me move him into the infirmary. We have to make sure he can't get loose again before he wakes up." Maris' face blanked for a second before she flinched.

"Oh, uh yeah." Together they lifted the unconscious Jedi, Ahsoka gripping his shoulders and Maris at his feet. "God he's heavy." Maris complained struggling to keep up her side of the load.

Ahsoka looked down at the Sith, his ruined made his face look jagged and unnatural. The exposed skin was still puffy and red and a few places were leaking dark red ooze where his wounds had reopened.

It had been a strange series of coincidences that had led to their current situation. She remembered watching the Sith bastard who had killed Ti being taken out by the suicidal charge of an insane Imperial trooper. He had disappeared into the smoke and the dust while the two of them sat there with their mouths open. He had saved them, he didn't know why or for what purpose but perhaps he had had some purpose behind his actions.

But honestly that was where it had started to get weird.

The silence had taken over the din that had been reverberating across the Ancient Maw only moments before The two girls began to right themselves, brushing off the dirt and tending to their wounds.

Maris had broken down into tears and Ahsoka couldn't help but match her, the feelings of loss and misery flowing past down the slope into her heart. Master Ti was gone. The woman who had been like a mother to her and Maris all those years, who had stood like a rock in the face of her greatest fears was lying broken and crumpled not but a few feet away.

"I-I-" Maris began but Ahsoka had stopped her short, her sharp predatory hearing picking up a recently familiar sound.

_'Imperial landers! Those must be reinforcements!' _Ahsoka had known that they would not stand a chance against a fresh contingent of troopers, truly they had only survived due to the intervention of the mysterious Sith assassin.

"Maris we have to go!" She attempted to pick up her hysterical friend but paled as a a large shadow was cast all around them. It had been too late.

Or so it had been seemed, as soon as the ship touched down the ramp had dropped and one of the strangest droids they had ever seen had proceeded down the gangway.

The skeletal droid regarded them for a second with its glowing optics for a few tense seconds before asking:

"Hello meat things." the strange contraption asked. Shocked into a stupor the two women had merely looked on in confusion.

The droid had taken their silence as permission to continue. "Have you seen a human male around here. Brown hair, brown eyes, 1.85m tall?"

Silence.

If droids could of sigh she would of sworn that this one had done just that.

"Well then I guess I will just dismantle you then. No offense or anything, it's just my programming." Faster than they could blink the automaton produced a lightsaber and charged.

Ahsoka had managed to activate her blade but Maris had been going to be too slow, it was obvious. However neither had been necessary as someone called out from behind the charging droid.

"Stop." The droid's software obviously recognized the voice because its charge immediately stopped and it turned three hundred and sixty degrees around. Somehow the previously dead Sith had managed to drag himself over to the ramp and was leaning up against one of the support struts, a trail of blood and burnt flesh showing the slow agonizing path he had crawled through to get there.

"Oh master there you are. I was just terminating these meat bags, I'll kill you when I've completed that." Before the droid had been able to resume its attack the injured Sith had spoken again.

"No, they will come with," there was a deep pause here as if the Sith was considering "With us." For the first time Ahsoka had noticed just how injured the dark warrior was.

Partial amputation of a leg and full loss of an arm, wounds that should have been gushing blood, blackened skin and protruding bones all along his jaw and shoulder. Frankly at the time she had been amazed he had even been able to speak. His voice as it was was lisping, flapping as his ruined cheeks responded to his attempt to speak.

"Master, I do not believe that is wise, my sensors detect shape contained beam weapons allocated these life forms person's. The are most likely Jedi and thus Lord Va..." The skeletal robot never finished his protestations.

"Proxxy, initiate silent running." The man managed to wheeze out before collapsing down against the ramps edge. "No contact with Empire." With a final gasp the man's eyes closed.

"Oh my, it is simply not acceptable for you to die like this master. Would be such a pity if I were not allowed to eliminate you myself." The droid, Proxxy had latched onto the burnt remnants of the Sith's robes and scooped him up, showing surprising strength for such a fragile looking machine.

"Ahsoka, what are we supposed to do? We can't just go, after what he did to Master Ti!" Maris had stated.

Ahsoka had been unsure what to do, this wasn't a situation she could of predicted even hours ago. Even with the help of an omniscient spiritual energy field giving her assistance. They were in no shape to fight, undoubtedly they would be cornered and killed or worse captured.

Thankfully the decision was made for them when she saw that additional Imperial forces had started to land. Already a few stray bolts were sent careening their way.

"Go, get in the ship!" she instructed simultaneously deflecting a duo of red blaster shots as they came their way. Fortunately most of the incoming shops were being concentrated on the assassin's ship. Thankfully they were holding.

The ramp started to ascend before they were even halfway up and the thrum of the ship's floor alerted them that they had taken off.

The two of them hadn't made it beyond the edge of the ramp before her legs had given out. She hadn't felt this hopeless in a long time, probably not since before her exile had started. Before the dark shadow of Vader and the Empire had eclipsed the entirety of her former life. For what seemed like the millionth time she asked the question why.

_'Why Anakin?'_

The next couple of weeks inched by agonizingly slowly, it was a day travel with hyperspace to the nearest planet with the necessary medical facilities the Sith required. The droid had confined them to the training room/common area and threatened them to remotely initiate the self destruct function of the ship if they attempted to usurp the balance of power.

"Why Master Starkiller is keeping you alive is unknown. However his instructions were for myself not to cause you harm, not to advert destruction of the ship. Well not specifically."

When they had reached their destination., the droid had left and come back with a stretcher and a medical droid and left again carrying the still unconscious Sith. Neither could believe the bastard had survived even that long.

They had considered running away but the question remained of where to go. Who's to say there would be somewhere else to go, for all they knew there was an entire legion of Stormtroopers outside the ship, or even outside the door. Asking for help was also out as they didn't know anyone to send a communique to. There was also the fact that the droid had locked the compartments down and disabled the engines. The bulkheads wouldn't be much of a problem since for some reason their lightsabers had never been brought up. But as for the engines though neither of them were mechanically inclined in the slightest. Although Ahsoka had picked up some things back in her padawan, years that had been a long time ago. The primitive lifestyle on Felucia hadn't been conductive to her technical education's expansion.

So they had sat for weeks with nothing to do, twice a day waiting for the sith's droid to return and bring them food and water.

So yeah they had gotten a little stir crazy. The frak headed Sith had absolutely nothing to do. Just few bits of exercise equipment, a few holo-manuals on blasters and various other bits of equipment. Not even a holo-chess terminal or a holo-net interface.

There was a holographic communicator in the common area, but they were hesitant to even come near it because as far as they could tell it was only programmed with one channel.

So they had remained for a few weeks, leaving the ship only once under the supervision of Proxxy under the guise of none other than Master Windu. That had been a surprise, learning of the holo-droids mimicry ability. Ahsoka had almost called out when he had first appeared, but then stopped. The void in the force and the fact that he had been killed with all the others all those years ago.

They had helped the droid load boxes of supplies into the cargo hold, a rather crass job. After a half day of backbreaking labor the droid had bustled them back aboard, Ahsoka had wondered why exactly they were still playing this game.

Later she was realizing it was the Sith that kept them here. Whether it was to exact revenge or something else, she was compelled to stick around.

Surprisingly that same day the droid had returned with a few change of clothes for each of them. It had been strange but as the droid had stated, "Don't want you smelly meatbag coverings stinking up the place, good enough reason to keep feeding you too."

Funny because he didn't have a nose.

Back in the present the two force users finished securing the Sith in the Med bay. Fusing the locks together would prevent him from using the force to open them. They also agreed that someone should keep watch.

A sudden tremor in the ships infrastructure signaled that they had departed. Ahsoka agreed to take first watch and sent Maris to find out what was going on.

Left alone, Ahsoka pulled a chair up next to the medical bed and tested the bonds.

Suddenly beset with a sort of morbid curiosity her hand found it's way up to the bound Sith's mechanical arm. She idly stroked the corrugated material. Strange that the artificial arm was so barbaric in appearance, there was much more less obvious implants. Perhaps there was some sort of reasoning behind this but she was in the dark and besides it didn't really matter. Once he came too there would be a reckoning, or some kind.

Maris returned and informed her that the droid had ignored her over the intercom, they had no way of knowing where they were going. Only that they had left the atmosphere.

Or maybe not who the frak knew.

Maris left her alone to go clean up the destroyed bedroom where they had battled the Sith. They had slept there for the past few weeks and didn't like that it had been almost completely ransacked.

Spend enough time living in an absolute backwater planet like Felucia and every alternative seemed welcoming.

She turned her attention back to the Sith and leaned back in her chair.

_'Who the stang are you and how did you know Maris' name?'_

Galen walked amidst the shadowed trees of his childhood.

Dressed in a simple brown tunic he wandered through the dark forest without plan or thought to the destination in mind.

This was something familiar to him, but he could not put a specific time and place to the memory.

The forest was massive and no matter how far he wandered the gigantic trees continued on. They were massive extending unseen up to the distant canopy above. If it was daylight up there he would never now as the light above had faded into distant memory by the time it reached him.

As he moved through the silent vale time began to evade him. Galen couldn't say for how long he had been walking; it could have been minutes, hours or even months.

Something played on the edges of his mind and when he reached for it he grasped the name;

_'Kashyyyk.'_

That was the name of this planet, with its elder flora and ambient wildlife. He had been a child here and had wandered these very paths.

The trickling sound of water invaded the still air and found its way to his ears. It sounded peaceful and before he could consciously decide his feet were following the calming noise. It was close and before he knew it he found himself breaking out of the thick underbrush and into a hidden glade.

The air was thick and heavy and Galen felt his heartbeat begin to slow because of the natural peace extruded by the scene. A small spring, lined with willows and moss laden rocks dominated the picturesque vale. Over on the far edge a small waterfall trickled water into the serene pool.

Galen made his way to the edge of the pool, his footfalls falling unnaturally lightly as if to make a sound in such a place was sacrilege. When he reached the pond he crouched, falling down on both knees. Making a bowl he brought some of the pristine liquid to his mouth. It was ambrosia.

A ripple in the pond focused his attention on the middle of the pool as something rose out of the depths of the water.

Galen's eyes followed as Shaak Ti rose from the pool, beads of water falling down her full developed lekku. When her head and shoulders fully cleared the water the Togruta arched her back and clasped her arms over head.

He quickly averted his eyes, the flush of color to his cheeks feeling very unfamiliar. He didn't know why he was ashamed, she was of another species and at least twice his age.

"Child, have you seen the moons of this world?" Her voice was just as serene as it had been when he had first heard her speak. But yet there was something strange about it. It was what he would of considered sultry or at least what he thought sultry would sound like. To be sure it was a silky tone that made his palms tingle with anticipation.

His eyes rose from the ground as she began to move towards him, coming up towards the bank and shaming herself more and more as she advanced. Her hands played in the water at her side, delicate fingers tracing meandering patterns on the surface.

As she made her agonizingly slow approach Galen was confronted with a feeling he was not accustomed to.

Lust.

It was sickening and shameful but he could not deny what he was feeling. His carnal education was certainly limited, Proxxy's biology lessons had been more focused on inflicting harm not love. Lord Vader...

Suddenly in a completely uncharacteristic fit of humor, Galen pictured his master giving him, or anyone the talk.

It was then that he realized that this was all a dream. Still...

Frak.

The Togruta woman stopped less than a quarter meter away, tantalizingly close, and idly played with one of her lekku. Her lips opened part way and her tongue ran along the pointed edge of her predator's teeth.

"They are quite beautiful." Her dark eyes met his and pulled at his will like a tractor beam, begging for him to do, something.

Galen bit his lip and looked for one final escape. However it seemed that the trees had closed in together to form a solid wall, cutting off any hope of retreat.

Shaak Ti reached out and gently took a hold of his trembling right hand, magically restored to its former flesh and blood state.

"Would you like to see them with me?"

Galen looked around wildly,on the verge of panic, but the woman grabbed his other hand and brought their bodies together and he thought no more.

Galen woke with a start, only to realize that he was once again confined to a bed. This time however it wasn't for his benefit but probably for the safety of the sleeping Togruta supposedly standing guard next to him.

He was drenched in sweat, the dream had been intensely realistic and he could tell he had not slept (or been unconscious) as well.

Trying to forget the whole sordid ordeal he turned his attention towards his "guard." With her sleeping he could probably crush her head like a piece of rotten kavasa fruit. Then he would be undeterred in his escape attempt, the other Zabrak woman would pose no threat. Better to act now when she was defenseless, he was weak but it wouldn't take much.

A steady yet gentle pressure on his chest and he found the force slipping away with any ideas of violence. Turning his head to the side brought him face to face with Shaak Ti's dark irises. Lying in the bed next to him the Togruta seemed more lifelike, her previous ghostly image seemed more corporeal and Galen could swear he felt a tiny amount of living heat from her unwelcome proximity.

"What are you doing wraith!? I demand you release me at once!" he didn't even bother to put the demands in thoughts. There was a pressure rising in his consciousness that he attempted tried to smother. "GET OUT OF MY MIND!"

His shout had obviously woken up the younger Togruta who had jumped up and taken up a defensive stance at the foot of his bed.

He shuddered as Shaak Ti's hot breath tickled his inner ear.

"My Galen, it's far far too late for that."

A/N Sorry for the epic delay in production. I moved to Korea.

PM


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